Broken Soul
by solitaryloner
Summary: The seven cardinal demons have never once been bested - they're supposed to be at the very top, the most powerful demons other than the Overlord of Hell. Except for Sloth, who is deemed too inexperienced by her other six siblings to venture to the surface. But is it possible that the six might finally meet their match in a human...a boy only Sloth is able to tame? LenXMiku.
1. Chapter 1

There were once seven demons, each one to represent seven sins. Lucifer, Leviathian, Satan, Belphegor, Mammon, Beelzebub and Asmodeus.

Each of these seven demons had objectives, of course - they were supposed to target humans in the mortal world who committed any one of the seven sins, and then...

Offer them a deal. The demons would grant them their deepest wishes, their darkest desires, and in return, the demons would take their souls after death and cast them into the depths of Hell.

The demons would bind the humans to them through the use of _contracts _and _covenants, _and in return, upon the agreement of such a bargain, there would _never be any more hope of escape from the devil's grasp._

Now, the demons weren't evil per se - they just thought differently from humans. They personified the cardinal sins, and to them there was no difference between Heaven and Hell. They reveled in the mischief and suffering they caused, but they were loyal to the Faceless One, the one who presided over the Hell domain.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed Lucifer, who represented arrogance. She seeked out humans who thought they were above all, even God, souls which had turned away from the Divine One, blinded by ambition.

The pink-haired, blue-eyed Leviathian, who represented envy. She seeked out humans who were tainted by jealousy and envy, blinded by selfish wants, desiring what belonged to others.

The green-haired, green-eyed Satan, who represented wrath. She seeked out humans who angered easily, who lashed out at all and sundry, bitter and tainted. Blinded by their fury, they blamed all but themselves.

Another teal-haired, green-eyed demon, this time known as Belphegor, who represented sloth. She seeked out humans who lazed and drifted, idling their days away. Blinded by laziness, they wasted their lives, doing nothing productive with the blessing of life.

The blue-haired, blue-eyed Mammon, who represented greed. He seeked out humans who hungered for material gains and were willing to do anything for it. Blinded by wealth, they wanted nothing but luxury, not even their own lives.

The red-haired, brown-eyed Beelzebub, who represented gluttony. She seeked out humans whose sole purpose in life was to eat and eat, guilty of wasting food. Blinded by their hunger, they shut their eyes to the suffering of the poor and starving.

The purple-haired, blue-eyed Asmodeus, who represented lust. He seeked out humans who thought of nothing but sex, who wanted nothing but their sexual desires met. Blinded by their lust, they committed carnal depravities in defiance of God.

The demons represented the cardinal sins, and they did their jobs, century after century after century, for an eternity. They always ran into each other - for a human who carried out one of the seven sins was bound to carry out another. Some sins complemented each other - like Greed and Gluttony, or Pride and Envy.

No one ever went together with Sloth. Belphegor often found herself bored, drifting around aimlessly in Hell, while the other six of her siblings frequented the surface world to carry out their jobs.

One day, in a rare moment of togetherness, the Seven Sins gathered, discussing their latest contracts. Belphegor sat in and listened, feeling dreadfully inadequate as her six other siblings discussed their latest targets.

''Oh, he's on your list too?'' Mammon asked a surprised Asmodeus. Belphegor sat up and listened, her interest finally piqued. The six cardinal demons had apparently encountered something _extremely _interesting.

''What's happening?'' she asked curiously. Six pairs of eyes slanted over to her, and then Lucifer was smiling innocently, her blonde hair gleaming in the darkness.

''Nothing much, Belphegor. Go back to sleep.''

''Tell me,'' Belphegor demanded. ''I'm tired of always being left out of your conversations. I don't care that I _never _ever have a soul - just tell me,'' she didn't beg. Begging was not the way of demons.

Her siblings relented. ''We've a new target. All six of us,'' Beelzebub said. ''Len Kagamine. Guilty of six out of seven of the cardinal sins.''

_Six out of seven. _That was the first time Belphegor had heard of someone who was such a sinner, and her eyes widened. ''What did he do?''

''He's proud of himself, of his talent, of his intelligence, and he brags about it to whomever he sees. He's guilty of arrogance,'' said Lucifer.

''He's jealous of others, of people who do only marginally better than him in _anything_. He must always be the best, and he hates them for it, even if he does not know them personally. He's guilty of envy,'' said Leviathian.

''He's angry at the world, and he doesn't forgive anyone for committing the slightest mistake. He does not forgive, and he does not forget. He blames everyone for his problems except himself. He's guilty of wrath,'' said Satan.

''He wants what belongs to others, what he himself does not deserve. His aims are materialistic, and he cares for little but his own selfish gain. He's guilty of greed,'' said Mammon.

''He eats the finest foods. He orders in excess, picks at the food and throws the rest away. He turns away those who would beg him for a measly slice of bread, when he himself cannot finish his own luxurious spreads. He's guilty of gluttony,'' said Beelzebub.

''He hungers for the pleasures of the flesh. His mind is filled with carnal desires, and when he wants a woman he does everything he can to obtain her. He's guilty of lust,'' said Asmodeus.

Belphegor stared. ''So he's guilty of everything but sloth. As usual,'' she muttered.

Leviathian grinned. ''Is someone feeling _envious, _Belphegor?'' The pink-haired demon giggled. Belphegor shook her head.

Due to her constant boredom, Belphegor had plenty of time to philosophise over issues her six demon siblings usually didn't have time to think about - like, was it possible for one of the cardinal demons to fall prey to their siblings?

And say, if it were possible, what would be the consequence? Demons didn't have souls to bargain with, and anyway demons _lived _in Hell. Casting them into Hell after death wasn't much of a punishment.

Could demons, especially the original seven cardinal demons, even die in the first place?

''So what will you do now?'' Belphegor asked the other six. This was the first time they had encountered something like this - when the other six were all called at one go.

Usually, in cases such as this, the demons operated on a first-come, first-serve basis, where the first demon who got to the sinner would be the one to keep his or her soul. But now, when this Len Kagamine had committed six out of seven of the cardinal sins...

''I think that this person deserves more punishment than the rest,'' Beelzebub yawned, showing off pearly white teeth. ''We should all go to him, and offer him _six _wishes. And after his death, we tear his soul into six and cast them into different parts of Hell so that he'll suffer for eternity.''

Beelzebub had always been particularly sadistic, and Belphegor winced at that. The other five agreed though, and together the six demons disappeared, going to the surface world.

Leaving Belphegor alone, as usual.

Amongst the seven demons, Belphegor had always been the least sadistic, preferring to end the torture as quickly as possible. Some of the other demons, like Beelzebub and Satan, _reveled _in the pain they could inflict as they tortured their unfortunate human souls.

Belphegor pitied the humans who fell prey to Wrath or Gluttony. They truly would suffer in Hell.

Maybe that was why she was always left out of everything. Because she wasn't as sadistic as the rest. Even Mammon and Asmodeus, the only two male demons in their seven, left her out of everything.

Belphegor clenched her fists. Was she not as excellent a demon as the other six? Why was she always excluded like this? Was she created wrong, somehow?

She shook her head and sighed. She was starting to sound like a mix of Leviathian and Satan. The cardinal demons were supposed to be impartial, and most of all they couldn't commit another cardinal sin besides their own.

Which was why Lucifer was so arrogant, why Asmodeus was a sex-crazed addict, why Beelzebub would eat anything (including the souls which entered into bargains with her), and why she, Belphegor, was always asleep.

Belphegor decided to go back to sleep. Her siblings would wake her up when they returned. She hoped they would talk about Len Kagamine, and what he did when they returned.

At least then she would have more to dream about.


	2. Chapter 2

Len Kagamine stared listlessly up at the ceiling. _I'm bored, _his thoughts cried out, and he winced, trying to shut them out.

He hated the voices in his head. The voices which made him do such terrible things. Did he _want _to commit such atrocities, defying God?

No. At first, he hadn't wanted to. But he had, regardless, and no one would believe him when he told them about the voices. _Because no one cares._

_I'm not schizophrenic, I swear I'm not. _Sitting up, he looked at the bottles of pills he had on his bedside table, feeling sick. He wasn't mad, he wasn't insane, and he didn't need some psycho quacks trying to diagnose what was wrong with him.

The voices in his head made him do everything. He was arrogant, proud of his abilities, and he showed them off to all. What abilities did he have? Len didn't know.

He was envious of those who did better than him - well, who wouldn't be? He admired those who fared well, but he wouldn't go so far as to call it bitter _jealousy. _Yet, he was envious. The voices in his head said so.

He was angry at the world - well, he didn't know who to blame for his parents' deaths, did he? Both his mother and father had passed away in a car crash, leaving their large fortune to him. But he wasn't angry over that. He was angry at himself, that he hadn't been able to do anything about their deaths.

He was greedy, wanting wealth he did not own. Wealth? What he wanted, desired, was knowledge, and not of the material kind. He had more than enough money of his own - what did he need other's for? Yet the voices told him to hunger for wealth, for material gain.

He was wasteful, ordering foods he couldn't finish. At that, Len snorted. He couldn't do anything when his chefs insisted on preparing sumptuous spreads that he alone could not finish. Was that his fault? He supposed it was, too.

He was lustful, desiring pleasures of the flesh. Perhaps once, but after his parent's demise, had he longed for any touch other than those of comfort? _No. _The days he had spent, fulfilling carnal flesh pleasures, were long gone.

_But I suppose that in the eyes of God, I'm a sinner anyway._

Len knew that the demons would come for him soon. He wasn't stupid, and after all he wouldn't be the first in the Kagamine family to encounter one of the cardinal demons. That was his family legacy - each generation sinned, and each sin was greater than that of the previous.

Both his parents had traded their souls over to the devil, and now Len _wanted _to go to Hell. He saw no point in trying to be devout, in trying to break the Kagamine family legacy.

His father had bargained with Mammon, his mother had bargained with Leviathian. And soon he would meet those two demons too.

He might even be able to see his parents again, after his death.

Len used to want to try and break free from the demon cycle. He used to be pious, pure, believing in God. But then the voices entered his head, after puberty, and _they _made him sin. Oh, and how he had sinned.

Len didn't know whether he liked sinning or not. All he knew was that the voices in his head used to be loud, clear, demanding. Now, they were simply background noise. It worried him.

Did that mean that he was starting to sin of his own accord now? But it didn't matter, anyway, whether he sinned voluntarily or not.

_Either way, I'm already one of the condemned. So all the more I should continue this dance of sin._

''Come get me, then. Lucifer. Leviathian. Satan. Mammon. Beelzebub. Asmodeus,'' he laughed, still staring up at the ceiling.

There wasn't any point to entering Heaven. None of his family would be there. He was Len Kagamine, sole heir to the Kagamine legacy, and after his death the cycle would break. His demon family would forever be cast to Hell.

And Len didn't care. Let everyone suffer in Hell, he didn't care - he would revel in his pain. So long as he had fun on earth, it didn't matter where he spent his afterlife, in heaven or hell.

At his proclaim, six figures materialised in his room. The six demons. Len still recognised Mammon and Leviathian, from the time he had accidentally stumbled across his parents summoning the demons from the depths of Hell. They hadn't changed, not a bit.

''You summoned us,'' the six demons spoke as one, their voice intertwining to form a ghoulish, hauntingly beautiful melody which both mesmerised and repelled. Yet Len wasn't affected by that melody.

_Something is missing, _he thought. _Missing from that melody. That's why it still repels, even though six of the cardinal demons are here._

Which one is missing?

''I know I'm a sinner, and I know that if I do this, I will be sentenced to torture in Hell for the rest of eternity upon my demise.'' Len shrugged. ''And to be honest, I don't care.''

The demons narrowed their eyes. ''So what would you wish for then, Len Kagamine? Sole son of the demon-bound Kagamine family.''

''I promise you my soul upon my death, and in return, until my death, you six will be bound to me. You'll guard me, protect me from danger, and my wishes are your commands.''

The demons hissed and spat. ''That is not acceptable. We are not _pets,_'' Lucifer screeched. Len realised Lucifer looked a lot like him. ''We cannot be your toys to play with as you please, human.''

''I'm not binding you to me forever, only up until my death. And you need not remain at my side. The demon of my choice must appear to me at my summons, but otherwise you are free to roam as you please.'' Len arched an eyebrow as the demons considered.

''If you're not willing, I'll find a lesser demon. Like maybe Sollicitus. I do not mind being cast to Hell, I just want a demon as my bodyguard while I carry out whatever I want to do during my mortal lifespan.''

''Sollicitus,'' Asmodeus spat. ''You'd dare to give something as precious as your human soul to the demon of Nightmares?'' The demon of Lust's blue eyes flickered crimson.

''We agree to your terms,'' Mammon said grudgingly. ''You know how to summon us, I'm sure. Now, seal the contract.''

The six demons leant forward, so caught up were they in their excitement. Len smirked.

''I, Len Kagamine, offer my soul for eternal punishment in the fields of Hell to the six cardinal demons, Lucifer, Leviathian, Satan, Mammon, Beelzebub and Asmodeus.''

As Len spoke, the six demons began to glow with a faintly reddish light, and they moaned, almost as though in pain.

''In return, the six cardinal demons with whom I contract are my personal bodyguards. My wish is their command, and they are to come to me at my beck and call. This ends only after my death. _Daemones sunt mea._''

Len felt a sudden sharp, shooting pain through his palm, and he raised his palm to study it. On his left hand, there was something almost like a brand, black and intricate. There were six spikes coming out from a circle, and on each spike there was the the name of each of the six demons.

_The covenant. _The covenant which would bind him and the demons together until he died. Len smiled, suddenly contented. ''Answer me now. There are seven cardinal demons. Who's the seventh, the one who isn't here now?''

''Belphegor, the demon of sloth,'' said Leviathian, her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. ''Why do you ask, Kagamine?''

''For my own morbid curiosity,'' Len bared his teeth. _Belphegor. _He was curious - the demon of sloth. That was one demon his family had never encountered before. His family had always been busy, always scheming and planning, and as a result none of them had ever run into the demon of sloth before.

The demons bowed, and when they looked up at him there was obvious hate in their eyes. ''Don't do anything to Belphegor. Don't you _dare _do to Belphegor what you did to us,'' Satan hissed.

And with that, the six demons disappeared. Off to warn their sibling? How protective of them. It was hard to believe demons could have kinship bonds, but it was obvious the cardinal seven did.

Len licked his lips. Belphegor. If only there was a way to bind the seventh cardinal demon to him as well.

To have all seven...with all seven, Len could suppress the world. He smiled. No one could stand against the rage of the seven most powerful demons in Hell.

Now, he just needed to find Belphegor. He wondered whether he could summon Belphegor if he wasn't guilty of Sloth, and if he would even bother to heed Len in the first place.

Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?


	3. Chapter 3

Belphegor was roused from her sleep by six frantic demons. ''Belphegor!''

''Yes?'' Belphegor mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes. The six other cardinal demons stood around her bed, and the expressions on their faces ranged from anxiety to sheer outrage.

''Be careful,'' Leviathian whispered intensely, kneeling down so that they were face-to-face. ''We've gotten ourselves bound to Len Kagamine - it was the only way he would give up his soul. We cannot allow one of the lesser demons to obtain a soul - they'd break free from Hell once the soul has been devoured.''

''Wait, wait. What's going on? What do you mean, bound to Len Kagamine?'' Belphegor shot up, confused. She didn't understand.

The six demons exchanged a glance, then all of them sat around her bed, on the floor. Belphegor got the sense that she was about to receive some extremely bad news.

''You know that we went to the mortal world to obtain the soul of the sinner, Len Kagamine,'' Lucifer started. Belphegor nodded hesitantly.

''He was...difficult. Six demons appeared before him, and thus six wishes he was offered. He knew what we were - he had everything planned out,'' Leviathian gritted her teeth, fingers clenching into fists.

''He set us terms,'' Satan said quietly. ''Terms no other human has dared set before - we, the cardinal demons, are to be his personal bodyguards. We are to fulfill his wishes and protect him from danger until the contract comes to pass.''

Belphegor just stared. Her powerful siblings, the six other Lords of Hell, enslaved to a human? She couldn't believe it.

''Of course, the contract passes only when he dies,'' Mammon hissed. ''He bound the six of us to him, and now no one knows how that will affect the covenant. If he now has the power to command us at will...''

''He might command us to not take his soul after death, and we would have no choice but to obey.'' Beelzebub spat. ''Of course, that's just a theory, we do not know if such a thing is possible...but it'd be best not to risk it.''

''And now, Belphegor, he has set his sights on you,'' Asmodeus sighed. ''He aims to bind all seven cardinal demons to him. If you sense him trying to summon you, Belphegor, you _can't _obey. If we really can't pull his soul into Hell, then only you will be able to.''

Belphegor didn't know what to say. Finally, she nodded. ''But I don't necessarily have to enter into a deal with him, even if he summons me, right?''

''Belphegor,'' Mammon said softly, ''deals are the sole reason why we appear in the mortal world. If someone summons you and you appear before them, then you have to listen and grant them their wish. _That is the way of the demons. _That's why you cannot go to Len Kagamine. Not ever. Not even if he summons you.''

''So...you mean...all along I could've ventured to the surface whenever I wanted? That I _didn't _have to wait for someone to fall prey to Sloth before going to the mortal world?'' Belphegor gasped.

The other six demons hung their heads. ''Yes,'' Lucifer whispered. ''We chose not to tell you before because you're too inexperienced, Belphegor. You didn't know that if you were to appear before a mortal, you'd _have _to enter into a deal with them. So long as they have sinned.''

''And even if they have never sinned, you have to convince them to fall, to sin,'' Asmodeus said. ''It is our job. We are demons. Our sole purpose is to punish and condemn.''

''But...isn't that the job of the lesser demons? To convince the pure to fall? Aren't cardinal demons supposed to focus only on the seven sins?''

''Belphegor...the lesser demons aren't allowed out of Hell. They'd try to escape, to wreak havoc on the surface. _All _sins fall to us, not just the cardinal sins,'' Satan answered her.

Belphegor was still reeling. ''So you've been lying to me all my existence. You've been preventing me from carrying out my job!''

''It's not that way, Belphegor. You're too inexperienced, you don't know what to do -''

''Stop calling me inexperienced! I was created alongside the other six of you, so why should I be any different? What do you six have that _I do not?_'' Belphegor screamed.

She was falling prey to Wrath, which was Satan's domain, but for once she didn't care.

''Belphegor. Calm down and listen to me,'' Leviathian tried to soothe her. ''You're no different from the rest of us, it's just that your realm of influence, sloth, it doesn't allow you out as much as the rest of us -''

''But you just said that I could've gone to the mortal world whenever I wanted! I could've gone to collect souls for other sins - I didn't have to specifically target those under Sloth!'' Belphegor was raging. ''_You've all been denying me my freedom for countless millenia._''

''We didn't! Aren't you free right now?'' Beelzebub protested. Belphegor felt her eyes burn slightly - a sign that they were flickering, changing to red.

That had never happened before. Belphegor had never been riled up so much before. Ever. She had _never _raged at her siblings before - amongst the seven of them, she was the mildest. The most even-tempered. The _bullied _one, the _suppressed _one.

Well, she would be suppressed no longer. ''Free? _Free? _In what way am I free?'' she spat. ''You lock me in here unless Sloth summons me. I'm never allowed out of Hell otherwise. You all traipse in and out as you please, while all I can do is watch! _Stay in Hell, Belphegor. The surface world isn't safe,_'' she mimicked. Belphegor knew her eyes were pure red now. ''So now, just watch me.''

Before her six siblings could do anything to stop her, she de-materialised from Hell, intent on wreaking as much havoc as she could in the mortal world.

She would do her siblings' jobs for them, if they so wished - she would, for the first time in her long existence, actually collect souls and create contracts. Like the demon she was supposed to be.

Belphegor had collected souls before, but on an average of about fifty per century, which was far less than her siblings.

Belphegor re-materialised in the mortal world, in the country-side. She hadn't been on the surface for two centuries, and now she gaped at all the changes to the unfamiliar land.

The scent of fresh grass hit her nose, and Belphegor inhaled, smiling.

_Now, let us sleep under the realm of Sloth._


	4. Chapter 4

Belphegor decided she liked the surface world much better than she liked Hell.

Already, in the brief time she was out in this world, she had already sealed several contracts - ten, at least. And that was ten more than she normally did in an entire _decade._

She ignored her siblings' cries for her to return - why should she? She could hear them clamouring in her mind, but honestly she didn't care. She had been _locked away _down there for far too long, and she wasn't going to return to them until she had her fair share of fun.

There was never anything to do in Hell, and the only music you could hear was the sound of tortured souls, wailing for mercy. It wasn't a very pleasant atmosphere, and Belphegor had never liked it much. She'd much rather venture to the surface, where the air was fresh and the land was clean.

Not like in Hell, where it was blood-stained, where the air was stale and musty. Where there was not a shred of hope to be found, not in any corner of the forsaken place.

But most of all, Belphegor _craved _to return to Heaven. The cardinal demons had once lived in Heaven, until Lucifer, the eldest, decided to fall, taking the other six of them along with her. And now, the seven cardinal demons were the Lords of Hell, and they only answered to the Faceless One.

Belphegor had never personally seen the demon overlord, and she sincerely hoped that she would never have to. Lucifer had seen him before, and she described him as...faceless. A monstrous entity, a being fashioned from pure darkness and malice, the complete opposite of the Divine Lord.

Now, she didn't philosophise over such intangible issues. She was a free demon, a cardinal demon on the surface, and she answered to no one but the call of Sloth.

Creating contracts, forging soul bonds, it always gave demons a sense of unrestrained freedom, a sense of overwhelming power. And now, drunk on that surge of power, Belphegor shifted from the countryside to the nearest beacon of sin she could sense.

She didn't bother to check where she ended up, didn't bother to check the identity of the beacon. All she was aware of was that the person she had materialised in the same room as was a sinner. His back faced her, so she couldn't see his face, only the back of his blonde head,

And oh, how he had sinned. Belphegor licked her lips, hungry, as the traces of sin caressed her face, the dark tendrils of energy visible to no one but herself. Not even to the human. He was _surrounded _in the darkness, tainted and corrupted. Twisted.

Here was one human who was never going to make it past the gates of Heaven. Belphegor would _love _to drag his delicious, sinful soul back to Hell. Such a soul, so dark and malicious, it would be truly a delight to taste.

_No, Belphegor! Leave! You're in danger, _her six siblings whispered in her mind. Belphegor snorted. Not likely.

If she was in so much danger, then why didn't the six of them come and save her? They were just trying to get her away. The whole selfish lot of them just wanted this sinner to themselves.

Again, Belphegor felt anger, anger that she had never experienced before. This human was _hers. _His soul would be hers to devour, to torture, and he would be hers to torment in Hell. That would be his punishment for having strayed so far from the path of God.

''I know you're there,'' the human said easily, still facing away from her, and Belphegor recoiled, shocked. ''Belphegor, aren't you? That was easier than I thought.''

All she could see was the back of his head still. She was sure she hadn't made a sound - how could he tell she was around?

And how could a mere human sense the presence of a demon? A cardinal demon, no less. She didn't move, trying hard not to breathe. This...

''Did your siblings send you here to take revenge on me?'' the human continued, like he wasn't aware that he was having a conversation with one of the Seven. ''Because if so, I just have to summon them here, and I'll force them to rip their own sibling apart.''

That voice made her nervous. She was used to hearing evil in people's voices. Hearing hope, hearing greed, hearing lunacy.

But never this...emptiness. This silent deadness which made him seem soulless, like there was nothing in that empty vessel of a body.

But he _had _a soul, and a strong one at that. Filled with wickedness, but _strong. _So very strong. It was the strongest, most iron-willed soul she had ever sensed, and she wanted it desperately. Wanted to _taste _it.

What kind of person must that be, to own a soul of that much will?

There was something almost...divine about it. She frowned, trying to pinpoint the source, but before she could identify the divine source it disappeared, leaving behind the soul, still inhumanly bright.

Dark and bright, the human's soul was a complex myraid of shadow and light. A conflicted soul, like two halves struggling not to rip itself apart.

''Come out, Belphegor,'' he said, voice hardening. ''The cardinal demon of Sloth.''

She stepped forward, her feet making no sound on the marble floor, but the human turned, and she was staring into a pair of icy cold blue eyes, eyes that looked like twin frozen lakes.

And something deep inside her, the sense that always directed her to those who sinned, whispered _Len Kagamine..._

She froze. Len Kagamine. The human who had trapped her six other siblings. With a gasp, she tried to step back, but she found she was unable to step away, unable to tear herself away from those glacial blue eyes.

Did he have some kind of power that humans shouldn't have? Or was it just her?

His eyes widened, and she found she could move as those eyes lost a hint of their iciness. _It's just me._

She had to get away from here.

Even though he was the most handsome being she had ever seen, even more so than her siblings, Mammon and Asmodeus. Which was odd, because being demons, they were the epitome of masculine beauty.

This human, though, he surpassed them. In what way, she wasn't sure, but something about him _drew _her in. Made her _need_ to know what his soul would taste like.

Len was shocked. A girl? Belphegor was a _girl? _He had thought it would be a male demon, but apparently not so.

And, though he tried hard to ignore it, she was a very pretty girl. One could even go so far as to say she was _beautiful. _A beautiful demon.

With long, flowing teal hair and vivid green eyes that reminded him of a lush summer forest, one would never have thought the petite girl could be a cardinal demon.

But she was. Len could sense it. Ever since puberty, he had had a strange sense which allowed him to sense when the cardinal demons were near. He didn't know why, but he had been able to sense their presence.

They had been watching him recently, he knew, which was why he had called the six of them out. He had known that they were nearby, that they would appear. But this was the one demon whose aura he had never sensed before.

Sloth. The demon who didn't appear before him because he had never been guilty of that particular sin.

The voices in his head were quiet, he realised. Because of her? Because she was a demon whose sin he had never fallen to before? He didn't know, but he was thankful for their disappearance.

He hated the voices in his head. Voices which tempted, which whispered, which told him to sin. Voices which he were compelled to obey.

''We need to discuss something, you and I,'' he smiled at the demon girl, who seemed to shrink away from him. Was she scared? Or was she planning something? He frowned.

''What is it you want to discuss with me? A wish? A lifeline? A contract? The means don't matter, so long as you get what you want, isn't it?'' the demon's green eyes narrowed.

He was taken aback at that voice. That _voice _- it was sweet, tuneful and melodious. Nothing at all like the voice he would have expected a demon to have.

_Her voice is the missing voice in the cardinal demon melody._

But her voice alone was enough to make him want to _listen. _Feel compelled to do whatever she said.

Sloth was more dangerous than he thought.

''You're a demon. I'm a corrupted soul. I know why you're here, Belphegor. You want to make a deal with me, don't you?''

''You've already made a deal with my six other siblings. The proof is the covenant on your hand,'' the demon tilted her head towards his left hand, which was shoved in his pocket.

How had she known?

The demon continued. ''I cannot grant a wish to a soul which has already been taken...Len Kagamine.'' At the sound of his name on her lips, Len shivered.

She made his name sound deadly, but at the same time her voice had been sensuous, smooth and beckoning.

Belphegor could be deadly.

''I left myself a loophole in the contract. _My wish is their command. _Every single wish I make, they have to comply, regardless of heavenly or hell rules. So, _I wish that I can make a deal with Belphegor.''_

Six different, resounding snarls reverberated throughout the room. Belphegor glanced around, her eyes wide.

''If that is what you want, Len Kagamine, then you shall have your wish from me,'' she gritted her teeth. ''What do you want from me, and what will you offer me in return? Power? Riches? The life of an enemy? It has to be as valuable as your soul, which has _already been lost.''_

Len smiled. ''I offer you my being. While they have my soul, you will have its vessel. My blood, my body, my mind, it's all yours to play with, yours to torture as you wish.'' He brushed his hair away from his eyes.

The demon looked at him through narrowed eyes. ''And what would you have from me in return?''

''I want you.''


	5. Chapter 5

''Me?'' Belphegor skittered back, eyes widening. ''You already have my six siblings. What more do you want with me? I'm the least powerful, the least experienced amongst them,'' she said, unsure if it was an admission or a lie.

''I just want to control the seven cardinal demons, regardless of how powerful they are. Those details don't matter. You're a _demon _- strong or not, no human can hope to stand against you. Can they?''

''Of course not,'' she snapped at the human's questioning tone. _How dare he doubt my abilities, my capabilities as a demon._

''Then what are you holding back for? I'm sure your siblings told you about my terms. All I want is to bind you to me. You will be my bodyguard, and what I ask of you, you must obey. Otherwise you're unfettered.''

''No,'' Belphegor shook her head for emphasis. ''I refuse. Being bound to you is a trap in itself. Do not try and fool me - I will be in no way unfettered.''

''Belphegor,'' he crooned. ''Is it usual of demons, now, to refuse a deal? After all, I'm sure you can twist it to your own advantage, somehow.''

_Deny him, _her siblings whispered. She understood why - they had explained. But she was still upset, and she wanted to do something which would displease them. Not hurt them, of course. Just annoy them.

And as for twisting the deal to her advantage, she could see a way. This human intrigued her, and if he gave her the freedom to use his body, she _might _be able to find a way to taste that soul.

She trembled. _Just one little taste..._her eyes fixed on his chest, where she could _see _his soul. So bright, yet so dark, the two sides clashed and warred, making her hunger for him. For his soul, for the very essence of himself.

''I might agree, if you agree to negotiate.''

''What are your terms?'' Len Kagamine's glacial blue eyes narrowed, and Belphegor thought for awhile.

Finally, she said, ''I am willing to be bound to you, and I am willing to protect you from harm. But I do not wish to grant your wishes as you desire. Those are my terms, in exchange for what you offered me.''

He tipped his head to one side, blonde hair falling alluringly over one eye. ''Those are your terms? Well, I disagree. If so, you're giving me less than what I had originally bargained for. Why should you get what you want?''

''Then what are _your _terms, Len Kagamine?'' Belphegor asked impatiently. Her siblings hissed in her mind as one, clearly displeased. She bit back a grin.

It was childish of her, especially since she had not been a child for several millenia, but it still brought her no little amount of satisfaction to know that they were annoyed.

''I take what you offer, but I want you to fulfill one kind of wish. What I demand, you will obey. Just one kind of wish.''

''What kind? To bring you wealth? Fame? Women?'' At the last one Belphegor felt a strange, foreign stab of envy.

_Great. I'm acting like Leviathian now._

''I want _you,_'' Len whispered, his voice so soft it was barely audible. ''When I ask you to accompany me, to talk to me, to simply be in my presence, you must come regardless of what you're doing. You need not grant my other wishes. Just come to me, and stay, when I call.''

Belphegor froze. He was demanding that she be his _companion? _A demon?

Was he mad?

Len glanced down at the floor, then looked up from beneath startlingly long eyelashes. ''That's the only other thing I want, Belphegor. Please.'' His voice was silky smooth, and sweet as honey. The voice of a charmer.

_Please. _This was the first time anyone had ever said please to her, and for some strange reason hearing it from _this _particular arrogant human's lips made her melt a little.

_I'm a demon._

''I agree to your terms,'' she murmured, and Len hissed, clutching at his right hand. Miku watched her covenant mark form, a vivid forest green, like the teal of her hair.

Once her covenant was branded upon his skin, he held his hand out, studying the back of his hand, where the green symbols marked his flawless pale skin. ''Pretty,'' he remarked.

''It's not supposed to be,'' she muttered. It was supposed to serve as a grim reminder of a human's deal with the devil, that they would suffer for the rest of eternity. It was not supposed to be pleasing to the eyes.

Belphegor felt _strange. _It was the first time she had not accepted a soul as a bargain, and now that she had possession of his body she felt like...she felt like...

She didn't know. But she felt like touching that flawless, toned body, that body which belonged wholly to _her, _and her alone. She wanted to wrap her fingers around his wrists, taste the spice of his skin. _But I don't feel like eating him, either._

What were these strange feelings?

Len's eyes flicked up to meet hers, and they looked heated. ''Belphegor,'' he purred, voice husky, and she stepped back as he approached her.

''Call me...'' she hesitated, having never revealed her name to a human before. ''Call me Miku.''

''Miku?'' Surprise flared in those blue eyes. ''Isn't your name Belphegor?''

''_Belphegor _represents what I am - the demon who personifies Sloth. Miku is who I am.''

''Miku,'' he mused, her name on his lips making her shiver. ''Miku what?''

She shook her head. To know a demon's full, true name was to have absolute control over them, and she wasn't about to enlighten Len about that piece of information.

Len was ravenous. And not for food.

He was starving for a taste of the demon girl who stood before him. Normally, that would've stopped him. She was a _demon._

But at the moment he didn't care. He wanted her. ''Come here.''

She grimaced, but obeyed, unable to defy their covenant. He felt a thrum of satisfaction. _Their _covenant. Between him and her.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him, his mouth meeting hers, and then he was kissing her, kissing the angelically beautiful demon who he had just promised his being to.


	6. Chapter 6

Belphegor pulled away from him, her green eyes wide. She looked at him as though he had gone insane, and Len supposed that in an odd way he had.

''You're a _human,_'' she hissed, wiping her hand across her mouth. ''This is sacrilege.''

''I'm already a sinner. What could one more sin do? And it doesn't matter that you're a demon,'' Len purred silkily. ''You're still a girl, aren't you?''

''What makes you think that I'm a _girl?_'' she snapped. ''I'm a _demon. _We're completely different species, you and I, don't ever forget that!'' Her words lingered behind as she dematerialised from the room.

Going back to Hell, maybe? Len shrugged. He could always call her back, but a slow smile crept across his face.

No, let her think that she was free for awhile. That he wouldn't be so despicable as to call her back to accompany him when he wished. He was selfish, after all - had been, for a long time. It would be interesting to see how much she would put her guard down.

And he...he needed to start working on how to resist her allure. After the formation of the covenant, after he had promised her his body, he had _wanted_her. He didn't know why, but suspected it was due to the carnal nature of their covenant.

Did Belphegor...did Miku feel that way too?

He was rather surprised that she had told him her name. The true names of demons could be used to command them, he knew, and now all he needed was her full name. Miku.

Then he would have even more absolute control over her than he already had, and then he would be able to conquer who he wanted, whenever he wanted.

The thought of that was pleasurable. _I want the world to bow down and lick the soles of my feet _- no, this wasn't his thought! It belonged to the _voices, _the ones who _demanded _that he turn away from God, from what he had once believed in.

Walking over to the window, he looked out at the city. It was a new moon tonight, and the sky was pitch-black, no stars to shine. The only lights tonight were the city lights, bright and neon. Len sighed.

Holding both his hands out, palms facing him, he watched his reflection do the same. He studied the two covenants.

The one on his left hand was the covenant he had made with the six cardinal demons. It was a wheel, he realised, each spoke of the wheel intertwined with a demon's name.

The one on his right hand was the covenant he had sealed with Belphegor. With Miku. It was green, forest green like her eyes, and instead of a wheel it was in the shape of an intricate hourglass.

Even now, he thought that some of the sand in that green hourglass was falling, trickling into the lower half. What did the sand signify?

How much time he had left? Well, if that was so, he didn't seem to have a lot of time left, he mused. Maybe another year or so, at the rate the sand seemed to trickle.

He blinked, and the sand stopped trickling, becoming nothing more than an mysterious tattoo on his right hand. _An illusion, then?_

As he gazed at the covenant, a sudden sharp burst of pain shot through his head, making him hiss and grit his teeth. _Anger. A foreign anger. _Wrath that didn't belong to him.

But it didn't feel like Satan's wrath...was it Miku? Was she angry, down in Hell?

If so, how was it that Len was able to sense that? Could she sense what he felt too?

_Does she want me the way I want her?_The thought floated, unbidden, through his mind, and Len frowned.

Was that his thought, or was that the thought of the voices? He couldn't be sure.

Len _was _rather curious though. He had wanted her, he couldn't deny that, and he wondered whether Miku felt the same inexplicable tug as he did. The same _need_to touch, to taste.

Shaking his head, he pushed his desire aside. It wasn't the grand scheme of things, this desire - he needed to start plotting. He needed to think about how to overtake the world.

_He needed to sin. _With a slight grin, Len drew the curtains over the window, blocking his reflection from view.

Meanwhile, Belphegor was trying hard to ignore the chatter of her siblings.

''How _could _you?'' Beelzebub shrieked. ''Now, even _you _entered a deal with him? Are we all to be bound to one pathetic human?''

''Beelzebub...she isn't bound quite as tightly as we are, so I suppose it's still okay,'' Leviathian murmured, always the mature one.

''But Belphegor, _why _did you tell him your name?'' Lucifer groaned. ''And why did you accept his bargain? We have no use for a _body. _Souls are our sustenance, not flesh.''

Belphegor glanced up at her siblings, who still didn't understand. ''I accepted his body because I wanted a chance to taste his soul.'' As she said the words, she trembled, so great was her yearning. ''_Just one tiny little taste..._''

''His soul is ours,'' her six other siblings chimed as one. _That _was the way of demons - they never gave up what was theirs, not even to their siblings. Belphegor snarled.

''I know that,'' she spat. ''But I still want his soul. I _need _it so bad,'' she moaned quietly, remembering the warring clash between purity and corruption.

He was a puzzle, this Len Kagamine.

''Why?'' Mammon scowled. ''His soul is strong, but there will be others, just as strong. You can go find them if you'd like, Belphegor - why are you so fixated on this particular soul?''

She knew Mammon spoke true. There would be other souls as steely, as iron-willed as his soul, but she _longed _for his. No other soul clashed as fiercely as his.

No other soul seemed to be so intent on ripping itself into two. Two halves of a whole - Len Kagamine fought a bloody internal war with himself, and she wondered who was winning.

The goodness he was born with? Or the darkness which had claimed him?

She didn't know which she'd prefer, but she wanted that soul. Wanted both that light and maliciousness.

But how could she admit all that to her siblings? How could she explain this sudden..._obsession _over this one soul?

A soul which, no matter how strong, she'd doubtless forget as millennia after millennia passed?

She hung her head, refusing to look any of her siblings in the eye, and she heard them exhale. As one, they left her room, leaving her alone.

_As usual._

However, for once she was glad of their absence. She had to think about her desire for his soul, a soul she had never even _tasted._

And what were these strange feelings she had about him? This yearning to see him, to taste the flavour of his skin, not just his soul.

_What are these feelings I'm experiencing?_

He had kissed her, a demon, and she had enjoyed it, even for that brief instant.

But humans and demons couldn't interact that way. They had a business relationship - humans provided their souls, and demons granted them their wishes.

And she didn't understand why she'd want to be involved with a human anyway. Humans were weak, next to useless. The only redeeming feature they had was their smarts, their twisted, manipulative minds.

Those cruel minds were the minds which provided her and her siblings with the evil souls they ingested and tortured to survive.

A mind like Len Kagamine's.

She closed her eyes, lying down on her bed. It was time to take a nap.

The last thing she remembered seeing in her mind was the image of cerulean blue eyes, the blue eyes of a human.

A human with the most _delicious _soul.


	7. Chapter 7

''Yes, Akaito,'' Len said through gritted teeth. ''I understand. Can you please just leave me alone?''

His rival smirked. ''I'm glad to know that I've managed to win the case against the heir of the Kagamine fortune,'' he said silkily.

Len ignored the arrogant bastard. Maintaining his outward facade of calmness, he fumed inside. _He'll be sorry that he ever dared to challenge my authority._

_Summon the demons, _his thoughts whispered. _Punish him. _For once, Len was glad that his thoughts were as twisted as they were. ''Leave me, Akaito. Go and _enjoy _the money you managed to sue from me. You won't be able to _enjoy _it for so long.''

Akaito's eyes glinted with fury, though he made no other outward sign of anger. He wouldn't dare to do anything to Len - Len Kagamine was known for always having some tricks up his sleeve.

''I'd like to see what you can do to me,'' was all Akaito said before sweeping out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind him. Len sighed and smiled slightly, the faint curve of his lips almost imperceptible.

Akaito was one of the employees in one of his father's numerous enterprises. Len forgot which one, such thing was of no significance to him. Akaito had discovered something which would help increase the speed at which the technology in his companies could work. He had patented it.

Len, being his boss, hadn't cared. Without paying Akaito, he had implemented Akaito's research into all the technology his companies ran on, and that made Akaito very unhappy. Why Len didn't know.

So Akaito had sued Len for copyright infringement, and naturally he had won. Len _had _used Akaito's discovery to make money, after all, without paying the researcher himself for it.

Len couldn't take that lying down, now, could he? When he was _Len Kagamine, _the head of a whole network of enterprises which specialised in everything from weapon making to biological warfare?

When he, Len Kagamine, was the head of a criminal organisation so extensive, so ruthless, that it would make the likes of the Mafia shake with fear? He smirked.

His father had been a cunning man, one who knew exactly how to make money from both legal and illegal businesses. On the legal side, he had founded Kagamine Enterprises, which was involved in the research and manufacturing of weaponry and defence for war.

On the illegal side, his father was the head of a criminal network with international ties, a criminal network which had evaded the detection of the law for centuries. Len forgot which Kagamine ancestor had started this criminal enterprise - but he was now the one in charge, so the rest didn't matter.

Under his father, they had engaged in all matters of illegal activities - drug trafficking, money laundering, internet scamming, kidnap, prostitution, murder. Under Len, they still carried out the same illegal activities...just on a much larger, and much more frequent basis.

Len was fond of his job. He much preferred the illegal business to the legal one, but he was the heir to the entire Kagamine fortune - he had to ensure both were properly maintained.

That was the only thing he could do for his dead parents, the parents who had died in a car crash, the parents who had died before their time, their souls dragged to Hell.

_Now, _Len mused, _what shall I do? _Usually, when it came to people who offended him, he would send one of the assassins who worked under him to...get rid of the offender. It happened rather frequently - it was easy to anger the eighteen-year-old criminal lord.

But he didn't need to now, not anymore. _Why rely on a human assassin when you have something much faster, much more effective? _He ran his tongue across his teeth, anticipating the kill already.

Oh, yes, Len had killed. He had to, to claw his way up to the top. So many had underestimated his abilities, thinking he was nothing more than a _child, _that it would be easy to get rid of him and take his place as the head of the Kagamine empire. He lost his smirk.

It wouldn't be as easy as they thought. At first, killing them had been hard, especially when it was in cold blood. Len used to have to rely on the whispers of the voices in his mind. Now, though, he was used to it. He needed the barest push from the voices, and his victims were dead.

It _had _been some time since he relished a kill so much, though.

A flicker of sadness went through him - who on earth was he? He remembered there was once a time when he had been pious, pure. Not a sinner like now. What had he become?

The voices in his head hissed, trying to steer him away from that line of thinking. Len blinked, and then he smiled slowly, a sinister smile which would have made any sane man feel uneasy.

Over Akaito, he felt _angry. _Angry indeed. And he felt _greedy. _Greed, for who wouldn't want his money back? Akaito had gotten millions of dollars out of that lawsuit. His smile twisted into something more like a sneer.

''Satan. Mammon. Come to me,'' he called out, staring out of the window.

He _sensed _it when the two demons materialised onto the mortal plane. He didn't even have to bother turning around to know that the demons had appeared in his study. ''Yes, Kagamine?''

Their voices were filled with intense dislike, as well as a grudging respect. He knew, even understood, why - which demon would expect themselves to be bound to a human? The cardinal demons, no less.

''I assume you know exactly who your target is when I tell you that I want the one who defeated me dead.''

''The researcher?'' Satan tilted her head. ''What's the point of getting so angry over such a minor thing?''

''That amount of money is nothing to you,'' Mammon added, his dark blue eyes narrowing. Len shrugged, hiding a smile.

''Maybe I just don't like losing.'' He played with the dice on his study table as he lounged in his chair, studying the demons. ''You would defy my order and the covenant?''

They gritted their teeth, bowing. ''No. Of course not, Len Kagamine. Your wish is our command.''

''Then go. I'm playing a game with Akaito, you see. He thinks that I play fair, with only fifty-two cards.'' Len threw the dice down, and both came up showing a six. ''He doesn't know that I always have a joker in hand.''

''And we are the jokers?'' Mammon muttered. Len heard and arched his eyebrows.

''If you think so. I didn't say anything.'' His gaze flicked back up to meet those of the two demons. ''He played a game with me, and he forgets that I never lose.''

The demons bowed once more and dematerialised. Len smiled, a slight smile, then leant back in the chair, waiting.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

That evening's newspaper had a rather eye-catching headline. Len paused, about to throw it aside, but the headline captured his attention. Intrigued, he studied it.

_Researcher found murdered in home, police have no suspects._

And who was the researcher? Len wondered.

Of course, it was none other than Akaito. Len sighed, feeling a little sorry for him.

''I did warn you you wouldn't be able to enjoy your new fortune, Akaito,'' he whispered venomously. ''Let's see how you can enjoy your money, down in Hell.''

Len would love to meet him in Hell and spit in his face. He saw nothing wrong in kicking a man when he was down.

After all, Len wasn't above doing anything to get what he wanted.


	8. Chapter 8

Belphegor wandered through Hell, feeling rather bored. She didn't feel like tormenting anyone today - she never did, to be honest. She wasn't as fond of punishing sinners as her siblings were.

Sometimes, that made her wonder - did that make her less demonic than her siblings? Was that why they _assumed _she was weaker, that she wasn't good enough to carry out her job?

Belphegor gritted her teeth. No use thinking about that. She was a demon, would always be a demon, regardless of how much her six siblings liked to baby her.

Suddenly, a foreign thought floated through her mind, a voice that was not her own. ''_Belphegor,_'' the voice whispered. ''_Come to me. Now._'' She scowled, feeling the sudden _need _to obey, to go to the surface world.

_Len Kagamine. What does he want?_

Regardless of her own wishes, she had to follow his order, and sighing she dematerialised from Hell, reappearing in the mortal world. ''Kagamine.''

The handsome blonde smiled, and again she felt that maddening urge to taste, to touch. Most of all, she wanted that soul, wanted it all to herself.

As usual. She shook her head a little, trying to ignore the yearning. ''What do you want?''

''Company,'' he tilted his head, studying her. ''And what better company is there than yours?'' he asked, almost to himself. ''I'm bored, Belphegor. Talk to me.''

Belphegor sighed. What was she now? A baby-sitter for spoilt eighteen-year-old humans? ''What do you want me to say?''

''Tell me about Hell. What is it like?'' he asked, voice curious. He reminded her so much of a _child _then - young, inquisitive, wanting to know about things they shouldn't know of.

''Hell is a cursed place, a place for the damned.'' Belphegor didn't mince her words. ''It's a place that no sane man would willingly enter,'' she added pointedly. He laughed.

''So you're implying that I'm not sane?'' he asked. The words were said in a joking manner, but there was a deadly seriousness in those frosty blue eyes, and Belphegor didn't think she liked it.

''Maybe I am,'' she shrugged. ''It's up to you to interpret my words however way you'd like,'' she said, a little more forcefully. He didn't comment, but settled back into his chair, just _watching, _the way a predator watched its prey. Like how a snake watched a mouse.

Belphegor felt unnerved. She was a demon, the predator, and he was a human, her prey. Yet why did he give her the sense that she, the hunter, was the one being hunted?

Len Kagamine was a puzzle indeed, and she wasn't sure how much more of him he could stand. ''So continue. I'm sure there's much more to Hell than those few words.''

Belphegor swallowed. ''Maybe,'' she evaded. ''But why do you want to know?''

He shrugged, like she had earlier. ''After I die, I'll go to Hell. Of course I'd be curious about the place I'm going to after I die,'' he said it in such a matter-of-fact way that it made her feel a little...dumb.

Something Belphegor was not used to feeling. It wasn't exactly a feeling she liked either.

Even rotting down, bored, in Hell was preferable to being in the presence of this human. She couldn't stand him - couldn't stand the fact that he held dominance over her. That he had bound her to him.

The only thing she wanted from Len Kagamine was his soul, his strong soul. She wondered what his soul would taste like, and her tongue flicked out against her lips.

''Feeling hungry, Belphegor?'' Len's voice was biting, and she jerked out of her reverie. The human was quite obviously annoyed, and secretly she smiled, a triumphant smile.

''A little,'' she admitted honestly. ''But nothing I cannot stand.'' She tilted her head, her long, teal-coloured hair reaching past her waist. ''If you have no more need of me, Kagamine...''

''But you haven't finished answering me,'' Len drawled. ''What's Hell like? It's a damned place for corrupted souls - basic knowledge, Belphegor. Why else would they call it Hell? Give me more. What's the place like?''

Unwillingly, she gritted out, ''It's like a series of underground cavern networks. The seven biggest caves are claimed by the cardinal demons. The other caves are used for _torture,_'' her voice whipped out at him.

Len was completely unaffected. He seemed to be considering something, and absent-mindedly he shot her a smile. ''Thank you, Belphegor. You may leave now, as you so badly want to.''

She glared at him and, in an instant, she disappeared back to Hell. Len thought, eyes closing.

Was it possible to overthrow the seven cardinal demons and take Hell for himself? He didn't have to do that after _death _- in fact, he could demand the demons to relinquish their hold on the cursed realm over to him.

But there would be consequences, he was sure, and he wasn't willing to risk something meta-physical like this without being completely sure of what was going on.

If he managed to conquer Hell, he would be able to find his parents. He would be able to be with his parents once more. But he didn't know if his covenant with the demons extended to controlling their influence over their own realm.

It would be interesting, to control both the mortal and hell realm. And it might even be possible, since he had control over the cardinal demons. The only thing outside his sphere of influence was the heavenly realm.

If he ever wanted to have a chance to learn more about Heaven, he would need an _angel. _Not necessarily an archangel, though naturally that would be preferred.

But angels didn't fall as much as they used to. How did he know that? _The voices in his head. They told him all he needed to know._

And unless an angel fell, they tended not to leave the heaven realm...unless they were one of the archangels.

Demons weren't all evil, just like angels weren't pure good. They had their own agendas too - not all of them embodied love and joy. Many angels had their own objectives to fulfil, especially when they appeared to humans.

He wondered if he was able to sense angels, the way he could sense demons. Well, he wouldn't know, would he? He had never run into an angel before...

_I'd like to meet an angel. I'd like to learn the easiest way to conquer all three realms, so that no one can be the master of me._


	9. Chapter 9

''Tell me why that won't work,'' Len drawled, tossing the files back at the trembling researcher. He held back a snort. Honestly? At this rate, he might as well work on the serum himself.

''The properties of holy water...there isn't much difference in its chemical composition as compared to normal tap water. What you're _seeking _for, sir, is impossible. Demons do not exist. They are merely a meta-physical theory, one that has yet to be proven -''

''Silence,'' Len said softly, and instantly the researcher stopped his babbling. Demons didn't exist? The faint trace of a smile crossed his lips. As if.

The researcher was fortunate enough that he had yet to encounter one of the cardinal seven. He would be frightened out of his wits.

''Don't question my order,'' he continued, in the same quiet tone. ''I told you what to do with the water, you do it, no questions asked. Understood?''

The researcher nodded, then hastily backed out of the room. Len smirked. He knew the researcher would probably be telling all and sundry that Len Kagamine had, _once again, _lost his mind, believing in myths and legends.

They were all so ignorant, these men of science. Couldn't their infallible logic see that there _wouldn't _be any myths if there wasn't some truth to base it upon?

Demons existed. And only fools wouldn't believe that. Even if they didn't assume physical form, they taunted and tormented, creating nightmares and fears that haunted all humans at night.

Would any human dare to claim he wasn't scared of anything? That he had never once had a nightmare? Len doubted it - even he could not claim such a feat.

The holy water he had asked the researcher to process was _genuinely _blessed. Len himself had travelled to the remote, practically unheard of spring. He had _sensed _the holiness of the spring water, and he had personally drawn some from the spring.

And now, all that effort was going to pay off. He wouldn't need all seven cardinal demons to bring the world to its knees - though that would be preferable. Six would be more than sufficient.

He would try _this _out on the demon he had the least influence, least control over - Sloth. His lip curled as the voices in his head purred in approval. Once she was out of his way, he would have free rein over the other six, and they would cause ruin to the world.

Upon his order. A grin crossed his face, making him seem almost boyish, but then the grin quickly faded, becoming his usual inscrutable expression. Len had long forgotten how to be truly happy. How to smile genuinely.

Now, he just wanted to control the mortal realm. Followed by the hell realm, then the heaven realm. He would be master of all, and slave to _none. _Rising from his chair, he left his study, going up the stairs of the sprawling mansion to his bedroom.

It was in his bedroom that his research of a more _spiritual _kind was carried out. He had read numerous texts and scriptures that pointed to the existence of demons. Their traits, their strengths...their weaknesses.

One weakness was that they could be fully controlled by those who knew their real, personal names. But that would be troublesome - a demon's name was a zealously guarded secret, one that lay outside the domain of all covenants. He could not demand a demon to tell him its full name.

So that option would take too long. Slowly, Len's fingers trailed across the spines of dusty old tomes, stacked neatly in towering bookshelves. Pausing at one, he pulled it out, the book flipping open to a page that Len had read before, numerous times.

Another weakness was holy water. Not the water that priests used to baptise - no, that wasn't _holy _in the true sense. Holy water, water that came straight from the sweet rivers of Heaven itself.

That was a demon's greatest weakness, biggest vulnerability. And it was one that Len was going to exploit. His eyes scanned through the page, lingering on the part which described the effects of holy water on demons.

After administration of such water, the demon would be completely helpless. Len smiled again, a fake smile which still felt unnatural to him, even after all the years of practising.

He liked the thought of Belphegor being helpless, under his control. She was the one demon he didn't have absolute power over, and Len hated loose strings.

But there were other reasons why he liked the thought of having her under his command. To taste, to touch...his tongue flicked out against his lips, hungry.

Eyes widening, he stopped that train of thought, once again uncertain if it was his thought or the thought of the _voices. _It couldn't be his - why a demon? He had never liked any girl in all his eighteen years, using them to gain influence and throwing them aside once they had served their purpose.

So why would he be attracted to a girl now? When he was so _close _to fulfilling his wishes, all his wishes. Distractions now could be fatal.

Attracted to a demon, no less. Len snorted, disgusted at himself.

''I'm going to trap that pest so she can't hinder my plans. Then I'll send her siblings out to begin their work, to carry out my wishes. And the world will suffer for all my sins.''

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The six cardinal demons glanced up at the cavern ceiling, suddenly wary. ''He's planning something,'' Leviathian said, voice a low murmur. ''I can _feel _it - he's planning something that will destroy the surface world.''

''I never pegged him down as one who would have such lofty aims,'' Mammon muttered. ''World domination, indeed. Clearly, I've underestimated him.''

''We all have,'' Lucifer snarled. ''It was a mistake, entering into that bargain with him. He _knew _that demons existed - he was clearly prepared for us. He knew how we worked.''

''I think we should've just left him and his soul alone. Though we wouldn't be able to punish him in Hell after his death, at least we wouldn't be slaves to that bastard now,'' Satan mumbled mutinously. ''Beelzebub, you and your bright ideas.''

''It's not my fault,'' Beelzebub argued back. ''You all were up to the idea, and anyway how was I supposed to know at the time he had that kind of bargain in mind? Everyone else we deal with is too _frightened _of us to demand something like that.''

''Stop arguing,'' she said softly. Her siblings looked at her, expressions ranging from hostile to resigned. Belphegor sighed, exhaling heavily through her nose. ''It's no one's fault. Kagamine's just a twisted individual. Nobody would be able to understand his warped logic. Not even us demons.''

''But he plans to enslave the world, with us as tools,'' Asmodeus uttered. ''We're demons, and we answer to none. What right does he have to command _us _to do such menial chores for him? If we wanted to ruin the mortal world it would be for ourselves, not for a child,'' he scoffed.

''And anyway he's a mere mortal. He shouldn't be allowed to dominate what the divine created,'' Leviathian added quietly. ''What he's doing defies the celestial laws - the world belongs to not one human, but all. It is what the Divine One seeked, when he created mortals.''

Leviathian was always the quietest, the most mature. She had been the most reluctant to fall, but on account that Lucifer was her elder sister she had fallen with the rest of them. Fallen from Heaven, the place that was once their home.

Belphegor sighed. ''We can't do anything, can we? We're bound to him - what he tells us to do, we must obey. He controls us like puppets on a string, and he is the puppeteer.''

''But you're not bound to him like _we _are, Belphegor,'' Satan piped up, green eyes flickering with excitement. ''You can kill him before he does any of this!''

Belphegor shot the occasionally brainless Satan a droll look. ''We can't kill humans directly, Satan. Remember? We're bound by our own laws. We can only grant them _selfish desires _which will eventually lead to their doom.''

''You can persuade him to change his mind,'' Asmodeus said slyly. ''He has some...feelings for you, it seems. He wouldn't have_ kissed _you, otherwise. Lust is never wrong,'' he tapped the side of his nose.

''That's forbidden. He's a mortal. He's weak. Fragile. And I don't like him. I can't stand his presence - no way I'm going to willingly appear to him and change his mind.'' Belphegor childishly covered her ears with her hands. ''Go away and sort out your own mess.''

Her siblings all shook their heads and sighed, vacating the cavern. Belphegor leant against the craggy wall, wondering whether she ought to talk to the human.

World domination tampered with the most _fundamental _of laws - that all mortals were created equal. Though modern society didn't allow that, no one man was allowed total control of the whole world, at any point of time.

Len Kagamine dared to break such laws. She had no doubt he knew that this was more than just a moral issue - it defied spiritual law. But he chose not to care.

She shivered. He really was a ruthless fellow. If he continued on sinning, like the way he was now, the cardinal demons might not be enough for him. The Faceless One himself might be called upon to punish him.

Belphegor flinched. _I don't want to lose that soul. I need that soul._

Maybe...she just _might _talk to the human. She didn't care for his well-being, for whether or not he would suffer after death, but she did want that soul all to herself.

_Len Kagamine is mine._


	10. Chapter 10

_When it comes to the final judgement, no one can escape the sin which flows in their veins._

The Angel of Repentance, the archangel Uriel, should know that very well. They thought that angels were supposed to be loving, all-forgiving. Uriel smirked. Not so.

Some of them, especially the archangels, could be ruthless and merciless, especially when it came to dealing judgement. In a way, their antithesis, the demons, were far more forgiving than the Seven Archangels.

It was odd, he mused, his silver hair falling over his green eye. Annoyed, he flicked his hair away. It was odd that _they, _the Seven Archangels, were as focused upon _that _sinner as the demons were.

Sinners were usually the domain of the demons, while the archangels dealt with those who were pure. Which was why Uriel thought that Len Kagamine was...very special.

He turned as the other six archangels appeared behind him, all watching him watch the mortal world - specifically, the one mortal. Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Raghel, Saraqael and Remiel. They each had their own specific roles to fill, and he wondered why they were here.

''You seem terribly...obsessed with that human boy, Uriel,'' Gabriel, the eldest archangel, said. He was the Angel of Revelation, and he blessed and oversaw humans with ideas and ingenuity, as well as awe for their Lord.

''I'm not,'' Uriel tried not to snap back. ''You _know _about Len Kagamine, what destruction he can wrought. I'm just making sure he doesn't step out of the line.'' Secretly, he smiled.

_Step out of the line, hm?_

''What I don't understand is how one who was born good turned out to become so twisted,'' said Raguel, the Angel of Justice. Raguel ensured that justice was served to both mortal and dead, and that no one was ever made to suffer if they did not deserve so.

Uriel shrugged, fixing the others with a stare. ''How are we, as angels, supposed to know how the human mind works? His entire family was in league with the cardinal demons - who's to say that _he _will not be corrupted as well?''

As he mentioned the cardinal demons, Uriel felt that same pang of longing go through him. The cardinal demons, which once had been the other seven archangels of heaven.

Until Lucifer fell, bringing her siblings along with her. The other seven remaining archangels hadn't been related to her, so they didn't fall. Now, what were once mighty archangels were the demon lords of Hell, and they punished the souls of sinners and the wicked.

''The cardinal demons aren't evil,'' protested Remiel, the Angel of Hope. As his role implied, he brought hope to mortals, gave them good dreams if they deserved so. Remiel also had the power to grant any wish, much like the cardinal seven. He used that power _much _less often than the demons did, however.

''_They _aren't, but the humans they deal with are, remember?'' Uriel said softly. The demons weren't evil - they had once been angels, and most angels had an innate goodness within them which was impossible to extinguish.

Which made Uriel wonder why Lucifer had fallen. Humans wrote that Lucifer had wanted to rise up against their Divine Lord, and take control over the heavens, but from what he knew of the demon Lucifer had no interest in ruling over anything, much less Heaven.

And unlike what humans thought, Lucifer was a _girl, _not a male angel who was God's most beautiful creation. Uriel snorted.

So why had she chosen to fall, convincing the other six to fall from the heavens with her?

He regarded each of the other remaining six archangels with his unique eyes. ''Remember what we know about Len Kagamine,'' he murmured. ''Can you fault me for doing such a thing? I'm just trying to help our Lord.''

''That's true,'' Michael, the lead Angel of Death, said quietly. ''But what you're doing is still wrong, Uriel. It goes against what we are, as angels. We're supposed to help, and we don't bring harm to any creature. Even the demons don't, they only punish those who deserve it.''

Angels of Death, otherwise known as Grim Reapers, took charge of escorting the souls of those who passed to Heaven or Hell, according to how they behaved during their lives on Earth.

Alternatively, some souls had unfinished business so could choose to be reincarnated, and the Grim Reapers escorted them to their final resting place.

''I didn't harm him. Especially not now. And anyway, I'm helping the rest of the world. Are we to sacrifice all three domains just for this one mortal?'' he said impatiently. ''_We always work for the greater good, _don't we?''

There was a pause, then a collective sigh. ''Do what you wish, Uriel,'' Gabriel said in a long-suffering tone. ''Just know that what you're doing does not befit the nature of an archangel.''

With that, the other six all disappeared, and Uriel closed his eyes in frustration. Why couldn't the others see that what he was doing was for the sake of everyone?

Wouldn't it be better to sacrifice this one human than to kill off the other three domains? Len Kagamine was once a pure soul, but who was to say that his nature wouldn't change upon death?

Uriel had seen souls which did just that. Being the angel of repentance, he knew the most about sinners, and how they acted. What they did. He knew the most about the cardinal seven, too, and how they worked, the wishes they granted. He clenched his fingers into fists.

He couldn't risk Len Kagamine fulfilling his parent's wishes for him. Even though he was in life a pure soul, upon entering the heaven realm Uriel was convinced that all would change. It wouldn't be his fault, but the wish would still come to pass, and that _could not happen._

Uriel had always been the least angelic amongst the Seven Archangels of Heaven. The least pure, the least selfless, more demon than angel. Demons and angels were two sides of the same coin, anyway, and sometimes Uriel found himself wondering what it would be like to fall.

To join the other Seven, once angels and now not, down in the deep recesses of Hell.

Furthermore, unlike the other six, Uriel actually had reason to see the seven cardinal demons again, actually _yearned _to see them after the Fall. No, not all seven...just one. He hesitated, eyelids lowering. _I don't want to recall._

He continued looking into the mortal world, quietly observing the human boy known as Len Kagamine.

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Someone rapped on his study door, and Len looked up, annoyed, from the sheath of papers he was reading. He was in the middle of analysing some business contracts, and whoever dared to interrupt him when he was working better had something _very _important to tell him.

''Come in,'' he called, his voice thick with irritation. There was a slight pause, then the door was pushed in, and one of his computer hackers entered, giving him a slight bow.

Len's interest was piqued. Business from the illegal side? Now, that was definitely worth his time. ''What is so important that you have to come to me without prior arrangement?''

The hacker averted his gaze, refusing to meet his dead eyes. ''I managed to hack into your cousin's private network,'' he said hesitantly. ''There was an encrypted folder, and I looked through that. There's something that...you should see,'' he finally mumbled.

Len stiffened. His cousin. Rei Kagamine. They shared the same last name, but Rei was a distant cousin, one who wasn't part of the close Kagamine family...one who wasn't affected by their demon legacy. They had never interacted much, not that Len could recall, but he knew Rei envied his wealth and influence.

The hacker passed him a small thumbdrive, and eyes narrowing, Len took the thumbdrive, inserting it into his laptop. As he waited for it to load, the hacker quickly slipped out of the study. It made Len wonder.

There was only one file in the thumbdrive, the one Len assumed the hacker wanted him to have a look at. Opening the file, he read the message inside, and as he read his eyes narrowed in a mix of horror and sheer fury.

''This...'' he said quietly to himself, ''is unexpected.'' He turned away from the laptop screen, thinking. How best should he punish Rei Kagamine? His lips curled into a sneer - how dare that bastard call himself a _Kagamine._

_Send the demons out after him?_ The voice in his head suggested. Len considered, then shook his head. No, that method was too impersonal. Len wanted to kill the bastard himself, with his own hands.

And he wanted Rei to suffer for what he did before he died. He wanted to know _why _he had done so, too. They were _family, _even though he was wealthier, better-off, even though they didn't have the closest of blood ties.

All these years he hadn't known who to blame. He thought it was a freak accident, two people who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And now, he knew it was not. He bared his teeth into a snarl. His dear cousin was going to _pay _for what he had done, and offenders always paid the highest prices to Len Kagamine.


	11. Chapter 11

Belphegor winced as she sensed Len Kagamine's anger. He was _furious _about something, though she didn't know what. She wondered who was the unfortunate soul who managed to annoy him this time.

''I wonder what he'll do for revenge?'' she murmured to herself, yawning. She needed to take a nap soon - that was what her sin demanded, and it was another one of her weaknesses. Belphegor needed sleep. A _lot _of sleep. Or else Sloth, the sin she carried, would rouse and complain its head off.

Each demon carried a sin inside it. The sin she carried was Sloth, which was why she was Belphegor, the cardinal demon of Sloth. And Sloth wanted sleep - loads of it.

The sin wasn't satisfied until Belphegor had slept at least fourteen hours a day. That usually left Belphegor with about ten, or less, hours of waking time. She sighed.

''Why can't you be more interesting, like arrogance or something? Or gluttony? I'd rather eat than sleep all the time,'' she spoke to the sin inside her.

The sin roused itself sleepily. Sloth was the inner sense she had within her, the one which directed her to those who sinned and told her who they were. It was a little devil in itself.

_I'm sleeping. Go away, _the sin yawned inside her mind, then promptly went back to sleep. Belphegor closed her eyes and shook her head. Sloth was a terrible companion.

She missed Heaven, and the other seven archangels. She wondered how they were doing, the other Seven. Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Saraqael and Remiel. Especially...she shook her head. That was all in the past, she reminded herself.

Demons and angels didn't mix. They were two sides of a coin, but they still didn't mix. They were just too...different. Angels hated demons, and demons couldn't stand angels.

Only the archangels and cardinal demons were tolerated by either side, and that was because they were the most powerful amongst their kinds. Of course, angels tolerated the Seven cardinal demons because they, too, were once archangels of Heaven.

Until they fell. Belphegor sighed. Back in Heaven, she had been known by her real name, Miku Hatsune, and she hadn't needed to hide her name like some prized possession, the way she did now.

All the archangels had been known by their real names, but over the years humans had given names to the seven remaining archangels, so those names now stood for what they were.

Gabriel, the Angel of Revelation. Michael, the Angel of Death. Raphael, the Angel of Healing. Uriel, the Angel of Repentance. Raguel, the Angel of Justice. Saraqael, the Angel of Protection. Remiel, the Angel of Hope. The Seven Archangels formed the highest tier of angels in the heavens, and answered to only the Divine Lord himself.

Belphegor shook herself. There was no point in reminiscing about the past - it was gone, aeons ago. She was different now, no longer one of the lords of Heaven. She was a demon of Hell, and she made do with that.

Being a demon wasn't all that bad, anyway. She hadn't expected to be made a cardinal demon after the Fall, hosting the sin of Sloth.

The seven vices were running rampant on the surface of the world, at the dawn of mankind. She and her siblings had fallen, so the Divine Lord had turned them into vessels to contain the sins, essentially changing them to demons.

Though she did regret falling at times, she didn't regret the new powers she now had, as a demon...even if she didn't have the chance to utilise them as much as the other six.

_Belphegor...come to me now._

A familiar voice, irate but still smooth as silk and sweet as honey, went through her mind, and she frowned. Unwillingly, she obeyed the order, going to the mortal world.

''What do you want this time, Kagamine?'' she asked boredly. He smiled back at her, the very picture of calmness.

If one were to judge simply by appearance, it would be impossible to tell that Len Kagamine was angry - he was the very image of collected coolness, calm and unruffled.

Underneath that facade of peace, however, was a seething fury which would put Satan to shame. ''Is it so wrong for me to ask you to come and keep me company?'' he asked silkily, his voice warm and soft as velvet.

''What do you want?'' she repeated, stony-faced. He wasn't the type of person to engage in idle chat - every word had another meaning behind it, every sentence uttered was formed from his twisted sense of logic.

Len Kagamine was the kind of person who said one thing and meant another - which was probably why he was considered one of the most influential people under thirty, according to Forbes magazine.

He was the youngest on that list, at the tender age of eighteen years.

''Come here,'' he beckoned, still smiling. Warily, she approached, sitting in front of his desk. He tilted his head, studying her. ''Tell me more about yourself,'' he invited.

''What do you want me to say?'' she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. ''I will not reveal my full name, so don't even think about that.''

''What makes you think I was going to ask you that, Miku?'' his voice wrapped reverently around her name, saying it like some kind of prayer. ''I'm just...curious. About demons. What do you _do, _other than torment souls?''

She shivered at the way he said her name, though she wasn't sure why. ''We don't really do much other than that,'' she informed him. ''Tormenting and devouring souls is a twenty-four seven job.''

Demons ate souls to maintain the sins which cried out for sustenance within them. Belphegor licked her lips at the thought of Len Kagamine's soul. It would, no doubt, sustain Sloth for a very long period of time - half a century, perhaps.

''Hungry?'' he asked, eyebrows lifting. She shook her head. She was never hungry - only Sloth ever was. And she had fed recently, so Sloth wasn't clamouring for sustenance.

Len reached into a drawer, pulling out a black velvet box. It was about the size of her outstretched palm, and Belphegor wondered what was inside it.

''Come closer,'' he purred, rising from the chair. She stared at him suspiciously, not moving, and his grin widened. ''Are you scared, Belphegor?''

She huffed at that. Scared? Of him? Of course not. She doubted that the box contained anything which could hurt her - demons had very few known weaknesses. It wasn't likely Len Kagamine knew any of them, and even if he did he wouldn't have the necessary items or knowledge.

She strode towards him, full of confidence, and he tilted his head, watching her almost lazily, but intent and purpose were present in those glacial eyes.

She neared him, and quickly, before she could blink, he had whipped something out of the box and jabbed it into her forearm. She felt the sharp sting as a needle penetrated her skin, then instantly she screamed, her sin screaming along with her as whatever was in the syringe burned a path inside her body.

She collapsed to the ground, clutching her forearm, the pain too great for her to bear as it spread throughout her body. Her head spun as she began to lose consciousness, and she was barely aware that Len had knelt down next to her.

The last thing she registered before passing out was the sight of Len Kagamine's face, with what seemed like regret in those icy blue eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

''What did you _do _to our sister, you self-serving bastard?'' Beelzebub screeched at Len.

Len simply yawned and ignored the red-haired demon, staring out of the window.

Did the demon honestly think that he was going to tell her what he did to Belphegor? Not even a human would be so stupid as to expect something like that.

He _was _surprised that the six other cardinal demons had cared enough for their sister to show up, uninvited, in his room, once he carried the unconscious demon of Sloth there.

Yes, _Len _himself had carried the demon up to _his own room. _And even now she lay peacefully on _his _bed, her long teal hair curling over his white pillows.

Why he did such a thing? He didn't know, to tell the truth. Just like how he didn't know why he felt..._guilty _about poisoning her.

He liked the demon's presence, for two reasons. One, in her presence, the voice in his head quietened to a _purr _at the back of his mind, as though it was _contented. _He didn't know why, but he didn't question it either.

And secondly, he liked her straightforward rebelliousness. It was refreshing...not that he would ever admit that he liked the feeling of having his authority challenged.

It seemed as though the voice in his head _really liked _Belphegor...Miku. When he had jabbed her with the needle, the voice had protested _strongly, _condemning him.

Even now, his head still hurt from the migraine the complaining voice had caused.

_Why does that voice like her so much?_

Jealousy flickered through him, then he blinked and shook his head. The feeling disappeared. He didn't have any reason to be jealous.

Especially not over a demon.

Turning back to the other six, who were looking at him with accusatory glares, he shrugged and smiled, that practised, fake smile. ''Well, I didn't really do much. She's not dead. Or even all that hurt, actually.''

Lucifer's blue eyes, so like his, narrowed. ''We would be fools to believe you,'' she declared, arrogance evident in her voice.

''Believe what you will,'' he glanced down at the still-sleeping teal-haired girl. ''But she will awaken. I won't be so stupid as to..._permanently damage _what could be useful to me,'' he ran his fingers through his hair.

''_She _is not a thing,'' Mammon spat, apparently disgusted by Len's behaviour. Len smirked - it wasn't like he cared about what they thought of him. _They _listened to him, after all.

''Leave me now, or I'll forbid you from ever seeing your sister again,'' he said softly. The eyes of the other six demons glowed red, but they obeyed his order, disappearing.

Len sat on the edge of the bed, watching Belphegor sleep. In sleep, she looked vulnerable, completely unlike a demon. She looked more...angelic than demonic.

That triggered one of his memories - one of the scriptures he had once stumbled across. According to legend, the seven cardinal demons had once been seven of the most powerful angels in Heaven, until they fell.

Len smirked. Perhaps the demon would have even more use to him than he thought.

_Don't hurt her, _the voice in his head hissed. He blinked, once again wondering what it was about the demon that made the _voice _like her so much.

_I'm not going to hurt her, _Len thought in response. The voice paced around his mind, like a caged animal, unsatisfied with his answer.

_If you hurt her, I'm going to make you suffer. _The voice threatened him, and Len knew that it would make good on its promise.

Len had been hearing the same voice in his head ever since he was thirteen, and he had gotten used to the voice. It was a constant companion, though admittedly one of a more irritating nature.

But this was the first time the voice had threatened him. Usually, it pushed and urged him to sin, to do things he normally wouldn't do, but it had never threatened him before.

What was wrong with that voice? With whoever was behind the voice? And what did that person have to do with the sleeping girl on his bed?

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Belphegor woke up, eyelids fluttering. Her body _hurt, _and the sin she carried inside her, Sloth, had been reduced to a mewling whimper.

_Hurts, it hurts, _her sin cried out in pain. Belphegor closed her eyes, feeling her sin's pain as badly as she felt her own.

_He will pay, _she promised the sin and herself. _He will suffer for daring to harm a cardinal demon. And he will suffer at my hands._

She turned her head, her muscles stiff and screaming. She was resting on a large bed, comfortable and soft. It held lingering traces of a familiar scent - her eyes widened.

Len Kagamine's scent. It was frosty, like a cold, biting winter, crisp and minty and refreshing. She blinked.

What was she doing on his bed? The last thing she remembered was passing out, and then...

Someone must have carried her here. Len Kagamine himself, perhaps?

Her heart thudded faster at the thought, at that possibility, and she scowled at her own traitorous actions. Sloth whimpered again inside her, and she pressed a hand to her chest.

''Soon,'' she said out loud, anger burning in her. Sitting up stiffly, she swung her legs down from the bed, gingerly standing. Her body ached and protested, but she continued walking, out of the room.

She knew the way to the humans' study, and so she made her way there. It took her several attempts - she stumbled a few times, almost falling over once or twice.

But eventually she made her way there, and she opened the door, not even bothering to knock. Why should she show this mortal basic courtesy when he didn't do the same for her?

The humans' icy blue eyes flicked up to meet her green ones as she pushed the door open, full of annoyance, but the irritation disappeared as he saw who it was. ''You woke up.''

''Were you hoping I wouldn't?'' Belphegor snarled. ''You're going to _pay _for what you did to me, Kagamine.''

He smirked, rising from his chair and walking gracefully over to her, his eyes filled with challenge. ''Try, then,'' he whispered, nearing her. ''Try and do anything to hurt me.''

She tried, _she did, _but as much as she tried to summon her powers they refused to come. Her eyes widened in panic as she stared up at the human, who smiled with vindictive triumph.

So she flew at him instead, her nails scratching and clawing as she shrieked at the bastard. ''What did you do to me?''

Len just stood there and took her blows for a while, which surprised her. Then swiftly he trapped both her arms and spun her around, back against his chest so she couldn't hit him.

''Holy water,'' he said softly, that sensuous voice caressing her ear, his cool breath brushing lightly against her skin. ''Water from the heavens themselves, injected into your veins.''

Belphegor froze in horror. ''You...dare?'' she asked weakly. ''I _hate _you!'' she hissed. Sloth hissed along with her, dying to kill Len Kagamine, but she no longer could.

Holy water from the Heavens had nasty effects on demons, but the most terrible was that it froze their powers for a period of time, rendering them as helpless as a human.

Belphegor had no idea how long her powers would be frozen, but she feared the worst. Just a single _drop _of that water could turn her useless for _days._

''I know you're wondering what's the dosage,'' Len Kagamine murmured. ''It's enough to turn you into a weak, powerless _human _for two months,'' he purred, and Belphegor gasped.

''I want to go back to Hell,'' she cried out, trying to tug away from him. His grip held fast, and she couldn't move away from him.

''I won't allow that, and you can't go back there until your powers return,'' his voice was smug. ''At least you won't have to ingest souls while your sin is helpless...that would have been troublesome, otherwise,'' he muttered.

''What more do you want from me, Len Kagamine?'' her eyes narrowed, though he couldn't see it. She could _feel _his smirk in the tone of his next words.

''Information, of course.'' he sighed and turned her around so that she faced him. His icy blue eyes were calm, but they glittered with triumph, and some other emotion she couldn't identify.

''Welcome to the land of the living,'' he said sarcastically. ''Enjoy your stay as a human, Belphegor. That's all you are now.''


	13. Chapter 13

''Let me out of here!'' Belphegor banged her fists on the door. Of course, no one responded, and sighing she slumped to the ground.

Len Kagamine..._Len Kagamine! _Hell, how she hated that mortal...not that she was much better-off than any human, right now.

She missed her powers immensely, and even now she flexed her fingers, hoping desperately for a little spark. Something. Anything.

Nothing. She sighed again. _Well, Sloth, what do we do now? Sit here and rot?_

_We should kill him in his sleep, _her sin responded viciously. _Cut his heart out._

Belphegor winced. _Maybe not. _Her eyes drifted around the room Len Kagamine had locked her in - it was wide and spacious, with a comfortable-looking bed obviously meant for her. The human had told her, imperiously, that she was to sleep here in the future.

Then he had quickly slipped out and locked the door, and now she was stuck in this luxurious prison. It was _aggravating._

She went to lie on the bed. Since she had no way to escape, she might as well sleep. Sloth agreed with the idea, and tiredly Belphegor stretched, then sank into unconsciousness.

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Len was pacing his study, wondering what to do about Rei. He hadn't had any idea that Rei was that ruthless...that jealous of Len. Jealous enough to hurt him in the worst possible way.

Len's lips curled into a snarl. If Rei wanted to suffer, he would make him suffer. Did he honestly think that he would never be found out? That he could gloat while Len suffered?

_Put your plans for world domination on hold, _the voice whispered, the idea seductive. _Make Rei suffer first, then do the rest._

Come to think of it, that voice in his head had never seemed particularly enthusiastic about him controlling the world - it surprised him. Didn't the voice _want _him to sin?

And wasn't wresting control of the world from the grasp of the celestial bodies the greatest possible sin any man could commit? The very pinnacle of the Seven Sins.

No, he wouldn't give up on his plans for ruining the world just for his cousin, no matter how heinous Rei's offence was. Len was business-minded, and he cared more for his overall goals than personal vendettas.

Still...Rei wasn't going to be let off easily. Not when he had a part to play in Len's _parent's _deaths, the deaths that he had never known who to blame for. He smiled.

Well, now he knew. He would seek out Rei, then he would use his own bare hands to tear the bastard apart.

Len always made good on his promises, and this would be no exception. Reaching over to his phone, he picked it up and dialled a number he never thought he would ever use.

''Hello?'' the other person picked up after three rings. Len sighed and did his best to sound civil.

''Aunt Lenka,'' he said brightly. ''It's been so long since I've last seen you, how have you been?''

''Lennie!'' his aunt squealed into his ear, and Len grimaced, holding the phone far from his ear. ''Aunt has missed you so! How are you doing, running your father's businesses?''

''Fine,'' Len shrugged. ''I'm wondering...how is Rei, nowadays? It's been some time since I last talked to him.''

''Oh...Rei,'' his aunt's bubbly tone deflated. ''I'm not really sure what he's up to, nowadays. All he does is spend time in that office of his, working on something. He doesn't even come home sometimes, now.''

''I see,'' Len said, faking sympathy. ''I'd like to meet him, though. Catch up with what he's been doing since I last saw him, what, five years ago?'' Len frowned.

''Six, actually,'' his aunt chirruped. ''Of course, Lennie! I'll go tell him now. He'll be so happy.''

''Happy,'' Len echoed. ''Yes, happy indeed. Goodbye, Aunt Lenka. And thanks.'' He put the phone down, thankful the conversation was over.

It wasn't that he hated his aunt or anything, but sometimes her overly-cheerful personality annoyed the hell out of him.

Len smirked. He could now meet up with Rei. He hadn't seen his cousin for, as his aunt said, six years, and he wondered how Rei had changed.

Ever since young, he and Rei had been rivals. They fought constantly - when young, they fought using makeshift forts, games of war that tended to go a little too far.

As young teenagers, they fought for attention, competing to see who could get more girls, more popularity.

And now, he would make Rei fight to survive. Len's lips tilted up, a ghost of a smirk. He had always thought of the rivalry as friendly, but apparently Rei had taken it upon himself to turn the friendly competition to a dance of death.

And in the murderous game, who was going to come out on top? Len didn't know, and not knowing thrilled him. This opponent was unknown, for Rei was, sadly, every bit as cunning as Len was.

This game was going to be fun.

He glanced down as his phone vibrated. A message from someone, an unknown number. He opened the message, and his eyes scanned it.

_It's been awhile, Len. Mother told me you'd like to catch up with me. So I'll go to your main branch office tomorrow morning._

_We both know why you want to meet me, Len - I know when some bright genius happens to hack into my own private networks._

_Since you want to discuss that so much, then let us have fun. Remember our rivalry, cousin? Let's dance like we did then - and we let Death decide who is the winner, this time._

_-Rei_

Len's smirk widened. His cousin was still as arrogant as when he had last seen him. Did he think it would be so easy for him to win?

Rei was going to regret his words. Len was never going to let him off - the loser of this little game would die a miserable death, and Len would do anything to make sure that the loser wasn't him.

And what was more, Len had the six cardinal demons to back him up. Again, he smiled.

Rei would never make it out of here alive.


	14. Chapter 14

Rei Kagamine smirked, tilting his head. His black hair fell into his golden-brown eyes, and annoyed he flicked the black strands away.

He was going to meet with his cousin and rival, _Len Kagamine. _He bared his teeth into a snarl. ''It's been too long, Len...much too long,'' he sighed, trailing his fingers along the glass of the window. He wondered how his cousin had changed.

Slowly, his lips tilted up into a smile. Yes, he and his cousin had been rivals, enemies since young. But he had never went up against Len _after _that incident...the incident which changed his cousin from arrogant and pampered to cunning. Len Kagamine was cunning, malicious - Rei had heard many things about his cousin.

The heir of the Kagamine fortune, the driving force behind the numerous industries Kagamine Enterprises was involved in, and the head of the underground Kagamine criminal empire, Len Kagamine had everything.

Why was it that the two of them were both born with the name Kagamine, yet they were so totally, completely different?

Once again, they would play a game. A game just like old times. When they competed before, so long ago, sometimes Len would win. Sometimes, Rei would win.

This time, Rei couldn't afford to lose, not when the stake happened to be his own life. He smirked - of course, Len wouldn't play for anything less than that. They would play, and Rei would take everything Len owned.

No longer would he be compared to his _perfect _cousin. Len, the _wealthy _one, the aristocrat. While he? He was _nothing. _Looked down upon, treated as _useless, _always being compared to _Len Kagamine._

''I'm going to make Len Kagamine bow down and lick the soles of my feet.''

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Len tilted his head back, waiting. It was odd, he mused, that he would be meeting Rei once again. It really had been such a long time - what would his cousin look like now?

There was a knock on the door, and Len jerked out of his reverie. It couldn't be Rei - one thing he remembered about his cousin dear was that Rei found it near impossible to wake up before noon.

He glanced at the clock. It was only nine in the morning - far too early for the sunlight-hating Rei Kagamine.

''Come in,'' he called. The door was slammed open, and a irate, teal-haired girl stalked into his study, her forest-green eyes flashing with ire as she made her way towards him.

_No, his heart did not just start beating more rapidly. Don't be stupid. She's a demon._

''Belphegor,'' he smiled at her. ''Had a good night's sleep, I hope?''

She snarled at him, and he swore for a moment those green eyes flickered, turning red. ''I hate you. I want to go home.''

''Why, this _is _home, Belphegor,'' he leant back in his chair, watching her lazily. ''Don't you like it? I find it very comfortable.''

''I feel like I'm trapped in a luxurious cage,''' she hissed at him, her green hair flowing across her porcelain skin. Her slender fingers twitched, as though she was just _itching _to place them around his neck.

''If it has to be a cage, at least let it be comfortable,'' Len offered, smirking knowingly at her. Her fingers clenched into fists.

''I really hate you, Len Kagamine,'' she said again, her voice filled with venom.

''I don't like you much either, demon,'' he murmured, running his fingers through his hair. Her eyes slanted, narrowing at him, and her lush lips tilted up into a sly smile.

''Regardless of what you think of me, human,'' she approached him, and he didn't move, wondering what she had in mind, ''regardless of how you have turned me mortal..._the contract between us still holds._''

Strange, why was she reminding him of that? He knew it still held - wasn't that to his advantage, and not hers?

She reached him, her eyes glinting with a feral light. Reaching out, she yanked him towards her by his tie, strangling him. But he took it, choosing not to give her the pleasure of seeing him react. Her cool breath washed over his face, and in her breath he scented cinnamon and vanilla.

He had always had a strange fondness for vanilla and cinnamon. They were two of his favourite flavours, and he inhaled, breathing in more of her unique scent.

''You're mine to play with as I wish, when I wish,'' she whispered, her eyes becoming green slits of fury, ''and you'd do well not to forget that, human.''

She let go of his sloppily-tied tie, pushing him back into the chair, then before he knew what was happening she climbed onto his lap, straddling him. Her green eyes met his, and he was suddenly filled with overwhelming _hunger, _that need to _taste and touch _-

She kissed him, her fingers twining through his thick blonde hair, and Len moaned at the taste of her. She tasted like her scent, of sweet vanilla and spicy cinnamon, clashing yet somehow blending like an exotic concoction.

His hands moved up, pressing into her back, pressing her _closer _to him. He wanted more of her, _needed _more of her taste, and if he didn't have enough -

She pulled away, licking her lips. ''Did you like that, human?'' she asked, voice husky. One of her slender fingers trailed slowly down his cheek, her long fingernails lightly grazing his skin. Len trembled.

_Yes, I liked it. Come back. Give me more._

''What do you think you're doing?'' he finally spat out, still panting. The demon smirked. She leant down towards him, her tongue flicking out to run lightly against his lips.

His hand went to the back of her head, pressing her against him as he claimed her mouth again. His fingers clenched into fists, making sure she couldn't pull away this time. His other arm wrapped around her waist, tugging her towards him. _Yes, more._

_My thought, or the thought of the voice?_

''Mm,'' Belphegor struggled a little, finally forcing herself away from him. Her eyes were narrowed with hostility, ''And what do you think _you're _doing, Len Kagamine?''

Before Len could answer, the door swung open, and he snarled, ready to kill the intruder. His gaze settled on black hair, eyes the colour of honey, a face that was like his, yet not.

Rei Kagamine.

''Am I intruding on something?'' Rei drawled, amusement evident in his voice. ''Don't mind me, dear cousin. Pretend I'm not here.''

Belphegor used his momentary distraction to push away from him. Without another word, she walked out of the room, passing by Rei.

Rei's honey eyes followed after the teal-haired demon, and they looked _hungry. _''She's pretty. I see why you like her, cousin.''

''Who said I liked her?'' Len snapped back, irate. Rei just smirked some more and leant against the door frame, eyes knowing.

''If you don't like her, then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I went after her?'' his tone was casual, yet underneath it one could sense currents of hostility. ''She seems...interesting.''

''_No,_'' Len hissed. He blinked, but continued. ''You'll keep your hands off her, Rei. Don't you _dare _go anywhere near her.''

''Whether or not she wants to be near me is her own choice now, isn't it?'' Rei challenged. His cousin did so love to play games, and he always relished the chance to make Len suffer.

Normally, Len wouldn't have cared less about the demon. But this was Rei, and Len would never back down from a challenge...especially not one issued by Rei. Belphegor was one of the cardinal demons, powers frozen or not. It would not be to his advantage for Rei to find out that particular tidbit of information.

And secondly, Len didn't want Rei _anywhere _near Belphegor, for reasons that were yet unknown...even to himself.

Len didn't know how to answer without getting another snarky reply from Rei. His cousin smirked again, satisfied he had won this round, and walked away. ''See you later, cousin,'' he called. ''I've made myself comfortable in one of your guest rooms, if you don't mind.'' And then his voice trailed away.

Len gritted his teeth. _Rei is going to pay._


	15. Chapter 15

To be honest, Rei wasn't really interested in the girl.

Yes, she was pretty. Could be considered beautiful, even. But Rei couldn't afford any distractions - he wanted to rid himself of the bane that was his cousin, and getting into a romantic relationship would no doubt distract him from his objectives.

But, if he could get the girl to like _him _instead of his cousin, then wouldn't that give him a huge advantage over Len Kagamine? After all, his cousin _did _like her.

Rei snorted. And Len had tried to convince him of otherwise. He had competed with Len over the same girls enough to know that his cousin treated them as prizes, as proofs of victory. He never looked at them with _want _in those eyes.

And he had never before reacted so violently when Rei threatened to chase after the same girl. His lips tilted up into a smirk - did his cousin think he was some kind of _idiot _who didn't possess any observation skills?

Well, if that was the case, then it worked only towards Rei's advantage. If his cousin really underestimated him so, it would be a grave mistake on Len's part.

Regardless of whether or not his cousin had supernatural help. Oh yes, Rei knew Len had bound the cardinal demons to him - and now, Rei was wondering how to work around that barrier. How had he found out? Well, Rei's computer hacking skills didn't lose to his cousin's in any way.

''I just need some salt,'' he murmured. ''Or holy water. I might lack Len's resources, and I might not know where to find holy water, unlike him, but at least I'd never become as arrogant as he is now.''

And wasn't _arrogance, _the domain of Lucifer, the downfall of all men?

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Uriel wasn't exactly what you could call _happy, _at the moment. His fingers tightened around the grip of his sword, the flaming swords which the archangels used to deliver judgement.

''There's another mortal, as twisted as Len Kagamine, and they're out to totally destroy the world.''

''It's not like they're working together to wreak any havoc in the mortal realm,'' Raphael said reasonably.

Uriel snorted. ''But they both know of the existence of the cardinal demons. Though Rei Kagamine _isn't _guilty of any of the seven sins - other than Greed and Envy, of course, I'm surprised Mammon and Leviathian haven't gotten to him yet - he still seeks a way to twist the demons to his advantage. And he has the knowledge, the _cunning _as to how.''

''But he can't make a deal with the demons unless he has sinned, and he doesn't seem to intend to cast his soul to Hell just to get back at his cousin,'' murmured Raguel.

''Who knows what humans are capable of?'' asked Uriel, his dual-coloured eyes, one blue, one green, narrowing. ''Humans are the Divine Lord's most intelligent mortal creation after all, gifted with free will. When they're desperate, in the black chasm that is hopelessness, they will grasp the slightest chance for escape.''

Remiel bowed his head. ''That's the curse of Hope, in a way,'' he whispered. ''When the slightest opportunity presents itself, even if it's just a silver thread, a faint spider-web, all humans will grasp it, no matter the manner of human.''

''If Rei and Len Kagamine manage to both twist the cardinal demons to their will, there's no way to tell what they will do. The six cardinal demons can destroy the three realms more than twice over, even if Belphegor isn't...active at the moment.'' Uriel winced.

''That's true,'' Gabriel sighed. ''Do you plan to do the _same thing _to Rei Kagamine, Uriel?''

''There's no point. He got to the same stage as Len Kagamine all by himself, and any additional push would just tip him over the edge. Besides, he doesn't have any involvement with the sins, as of far, unlike Len Kagamine.''

''We see,'' the six other archangels echoed. ''Then what do you intend to do, Uriel? This falls under your sphere of influence, after all.''

''I don't know,'' Uriel admitted. ''Dealing with Len Kagamine alone is bad enough in itself. What to do about Rei Kagamine...I have no idea.''

''You could always stop whatever you're doing with Len Kagamine and let the contract come to pass. It might not end up as you expected, Uriel,'' Saraqael murmured. The Angel of Protection was the most mature amongst the seven of them, speaking only when necessary.

''That's a risk we cannot afford to take. If we don't do a little evil once in a while, then how are we supposed to do good?'' Uriel retorted.

''I'm worried, Uriel,'' Michael sighed, ''that you seem to be enjoying what you're doing a _little _too much. It's almost as though you relish what you're not supposed to be doing, and since you're the Angel of Repentance...''

''I know where to stop. I won't overstep the boundaries, Michael,'' Uriel mumbled. ''That, you have my promise.''

''Well...that's okay, then, I suppose.'' Michael frowned. ''But don't you find what you're doing amoral?''

''No. Like I've said before, _repeatedly, _it's for the sake of everyone that I'm willing to commit such acts, that go against the nature of an archangel.''

''Do what you wish, Angel of Repentance,'' the other six archangels raised their voices, forming a hypnotic melody. ''But remember, any consequences are yours, and yours alone, to bear.''

The Six disappeared, and Uriel smirked.

Consequences? He would bear them, of course. He would never expect his fellow archangels to suffer for what he did. But if he succeeded in his objectives, he wouldn't share the rewards, either.

After all, archangels weren't all good, were they...?

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''Belphegor.''

Belphegor ignored him. Stupid, aggravating human. _Why don't you just die and burn in Hell now? Take me back to Hell, too, while you're at it._

''Belphegor!''

Uttered with more impatience now, a demanding edge to his tone. She could ignore him no longer, and fixing a glare upon her face she looked up from the highly fascinating book she was reading...what was its title anyway? She took a look. _The Many Faces of Jekyll and Hyde._

Oh. No wonder it hadn't made any sense. She had never liked that book. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were too complicated and multi-faceted...much like humans, anyway. They were all so _complicated._

It was so much simpler, to be a demon. For a demon, one simply had to torture and devour souls, and collect souls for contracts. Nothing else was expected of them.

''What do you want?'' she asked in the most imperious tone she could summon. Len Kagamine bared his teeth at her, almost a snarl, and she recoiled, remembering that for now, she was human and weak.

_Pathetic, really. From an all-powerful demon to this weak cage of flesh and blood. Pathetic._

''I don't want you to go anywhere near Rei Kagamine.''

''Why not?'' she assumed Rei was the black-haired human who had entered Len's study earlier. ''I'm free to go anywhere I like.''

''I just don't want you near him,'' Len hissed at her, his expression dark.

Something, or _someone, _must have _really _pissed Len Kagamine off. Belphegor thought it was likely Rei.

''And I can go near him if I want. Our contract doesn't allow you to control me - I must only answer your summons, but whether I want to carry out your orders is up to me.''

Contracts between human and demon had to be _extremely _specific, else how it was interpreted was entirely up to the demon.

He approached her bed, and Belphegor suppressed the urge to edge back, away from him. ''Please?'' he murmured, those icy blue eyes melting a little.

Belphegor almost said yes. She caught herself in time and shrugged. ''We'll see, won't we?''

His eyes became glacial once again. ''Fine.'' Swiftly, he yanked her to him, pressing his lips against hers. A fast kiss, hard and brutal.

Then just as quickly, he pulled away. ''But don't forget,'' he whispered, ''that you are _mine._''

Before Belphegor could retort, he had strode out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Belphegor raised her fingers to her mouth. She could still feel the imprint of his lips upon hers.


	16. Chapter 16

_Damn that demon._

Len was fuming as he stormed out of the room. What right did _she _have to refuse what he ordered her to do? She was bound to _him, _not _Rei._

If a demon allowed herself to be bound to a human, regardless of how close their bond was, then wasn't that a sign of the humans' superiority? The demon _ought _to obey the humans' commands, regardless of whether or not it was stated in the contract!

But of course, being a demon, she wouldn't think that way. His lips curled into a snarl - demons didn't have the same sense of shame and inferiority that most humans had. They were mercenary creatures, who only did what they had to.

Unless something was stated, explicitly, in their contract, a demon would _never _carry out what a human ordered them to.

_But after all that, she's my demon. Not Rei's._

Why would she want to go anywhere near his brat of a cousin, anyway? Was there something about Rei which attracted Belphegor? Len scowled at the thought.

He failed to see anything even _remotely attractive _in his cousin. Maybe girls liked him, but Len...Len liked to think that he was much better-looking than Rei Kagamine.

''Did you just try to warn your little pet to stay away from me, Len?''

Len's eyes narrowed as he turned around. Rei was leaning against the wall behind him, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

''So what if I did?'' Len challenged, voice hostile. Rei stood upright, flicking his jet black hair out of his eyes. Those golden, honey coloured eyes regarded him coolly, something almost like triumph in their expression.

''The more you tell _her _to do something, cousin, the less likely she is to obey _your _orders. When her curiosity becomes too much for her to withstand, when she comes to find me, I'll be here, waiting with open arms.''

''What makes you think she's rebellious like that?'' Len drawled, though he knew Rei told the truth. _Damn demons and their inquisitiveness._

Rei leant close, whispering into Len's ear. ''I'm not stupid, Len,'' his voice was a soft murmur. ''I did my research before coming here. And I know she's one of the seven cardinal demons you bound to yourself. I just don't know _which _one it is. But that doesn't matter, does it?''

Len was startled, but not shocked. His cousin was every bit as cunning as Len himself was, after all. ''If you knew, then you dare to come and risk dying in our little game?''

Anger flickered through those honey eyes. ''Am I ever one to decline an invitation from _you, _dear cousin?'' he said sharply. ''I will still win your game, cousin, even if you have the seven cardinal demons with you.''

''We'll see, Rei,'' Len whispered back. ''Don't fall prey to arrogance, now. You don't want to become a sinner like that, do you? You're not me. You'd never be able to bind the cardinal demons to you like that. If you tried, they will be prepared. I'm one-of-a-kind.''

Rei tutted. ''Hubris, cousin. It will doubtlessly be your downfall. And I will laugh at your demise, Len Kagamine.'' His eyes narrowed. ''Let our little game begin, then. We'll see who wins, this time. I hope it's not you.''

Rei then turned and walked away, down the hallway, before Len could retort. And that pissed Len off. It was the second time Rei had gotten the last word today, and that...that was just _aggravating._

''He's interesting, isn't he?'' Len watched Belphegor peek out from the door he had previously exited. She had obviously been watching him and Rei interact. Her green eyes were curious.

_Oh, no. Damn a demon's curiosity. Why can't they lie low and be still, like proper pets?_

''No, he's not interesting. He's the most boring, least fascinating creature you will ever have the misfortune to encounter.''

Belphegor snorted at that. ''Are you sure you're not just describing yourself?''

''_Moi? _Boring?'' Len placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. ''Do you know who you're talking to? Len Kagamine! You ought to feel honoured, demon or not.''

She rolled her eyes, shooting him a look of disdain. ''Drop the act, Kagamine. Like you'd care about what others think of you.''

''Nevertheless, the fact that _you _think of me that way greatly hurts me. Aren't you supposed to...adore me? Like how a pet adores its master?''

Belphegor bared her teeth and hissed. ''_I am not a pet, and you are not my master._'' she folded her arms. ''Anyway, I'd rather claw my eyes out than adore you.''

''Probably because they'll just regenerate,'' Len muttered. ''Once you regain your demon side.''

''You're irritating. Go away.''

''Why don't _you _leave, Belphegor? This happens to be my house. You're the one stuck in here, not me. I'm free to go where I please.''

She glared at him, her green eyes furious, before she ducked back inside her room and slammed the door shut. In his face.

Len allowed himself a smirk. Even though his cousin had won one round of words, at the very least he had taunted Belphegor enough to feel good about himself again.

It was a pity she was a demon. He thought, were she to be a real human, he would have a great many nights of entertainment. Likely in his bed. She had a lot of spunk.

Spunk was something that Len admired, especially in girls. Most girls just shamelessly threw themselves at him, and that irritated him no end. It was refreshing to find someone who wouldn't bow to him. Though of course, he did not enjoy the feeling of constantly having his authority challenged.

It could be extremely annoying. Len expected people to always follow his orders, without question. Only Belphegor and his cousin ever defied him.

Rei, he hated. But Belphegor, he almost didn't mind. How strange. Maybe it was because she was a girl, despite her being a demon.

_I'd like to make Belphegor bow down to me. And then, I want to make her wholly, completely, only mine._


	17. Chapter 17

It was night-time. Belphegor yawned, feeling Sloth's influence as it tugged at her consciousness, demanding that she go to sleep on the large, comfortable bed in the room...

''Ugh. Leave me alone,'' she muttered, trying to ignore the sin. Sloth whined and continued demanding that she sleep, and Belphegor gritted her teeth.

''I am not going to sleep until Len Kagamine comes in and suffers,'' she pouted, trying to reason with the sin. The sin sniffed and retreated to a corner of her mind, and Miku sighed. Fine. Sloth had decided it was going to ignore her, the little beast.

''I'll sleep more to make up for it, okay?''

Sloth ignored her, and Miku felt like throttling the thing...except that the sin was not exactly corporeal, to begin with.

The door creaked open then, and Belphegor ducked behind Len's wardrobe. She saw him walk into the room, looking exhausted, and she wondered what he had been doing the whole day. Sparring with his cousin?

''Belphegor, I know you're hiding in here. I can smell you,'' Len's irritated voice rang through the room, and Belphegor jerked up, startled.

What did he mean, he could smell her? She didn't make any move, though, choosing to stay where she was. Maybe he was bluffing.

He suddenly appeared behind the wardrobe, his blue eyes murderous, and she gulped. Damn, he really did know she was there. ''Hello?''

''What are you doing in my room?'' his voice was laced with venom, and Belphegor's mind blanked out. She tried, desperately, to think of a reason besides the actual one.

_Oh, I came into your room so I can scare you while you slept and give you nightmares._

''You want revenge for the way I taunted you this afternoon, isn't it?'' Len Kagamine arched an eyebrow coolly, and Belphegor's cheeks heated. She narrowed her eyes at him.

''Don't think you're that important, for me to consider wasting my time taking revenge upon you,'' she scoffed. ''I was simply curious about the books you have in your room.''

''There are books in your own room,'' Len didn't look very convinced.

''They're so boring. So I came here, to see if there's anything else.'' She yawned, doing her best to convey disinterest.

''Really, Belphegor?'' he murmured, backing her against the wall. Those glacial blue eyes trapped her green ones, making her feel frozen. ''I think you're here for a different reason.''

''What other motives could I possibly have?'' she tried an innocent act, hoping he would fall for it. Being so damned smart, of course he didn't.

''You're here to take revenge on me. I reiterate my first point,'' he sighed, looking faintly disappointed. ''How upsetting. I didn't know I had offended you to such a degree.''

''You think too highly of yourself, Kagamine,'' Belphegor tossed her head, her green hair cascading like a waterfall down her back. ''Now that I've realised the lack of variety of books in your room, I would like to return to my room.''

He trapped her between his arms, his face leaning so close to hers that their lips were almost touching. His breath was cool, crisp and minty. ''What makes you think I'll let you off so easily, Belphegor?'' he smiled.

''Maybe it's because I'm a demon, though for now I'm stuck in this useless human shell?'' she asked sarcastically. ''Once I regain my powers, Len Kagamine, I will make you regret the day you were ever born.''

''It's too late for that, Miku...'' he used her name, and Belphegor had to suppress a shiver. ''I already regret that particular day.''

With that, he leant in and, gently, his lips brushed against hers, and they shared a moan as lips met lips, soft and warm. Minty, frosty, Belphegor felt like she couldn't get enough.

''Sleep with me tonight,'' Len demanded, his intense gaze trapping hers. ''Accompany me while I sleep, tonight.''

''And why should I?'' she asked breathlessly, her gaze dropping down to his full lips. Those same lips tilted up into a knowing smirk.

''I'll let you have your way with me,'' he whispered intensely. ''What you want to do to me tonight, Belphegor, is entirely up to you. Your control. I will not protest.''

''Really?'' Belphegor ran her fingers down his cheek, and he shivered against her skin. She smiled, revelling in the fact that her touch affected him to such a degree.

Yes, she was attracted to this Len Kagamine. She, a demon, was curious, _intrigued, _by this weak human. And she would find out more about him tonight. She would satisfy her curiosity about him, satisfy her craving for his lips and his touch, then she would walk away from him without a second glance.

Len couldn't believe that he had made that offer with his own free will. The command had slipped out in a moment of weakness - _sleep with me tonight. _He had given her a sign of exactly how much he _wanted _her, and it was to her advantage, not his.

When he entered his room, he had scented a whiff of her strawberry shampoo, with her underlying scent of spicy cinnamon and sweet vanilla, and that scent had made him burn. Which was how he had known that she was in his room.

He didn't know why he craved her touch so much, but he did. He craved the touch of this particular demon so much that, having her near him, without her skin on his, made him ache.

It was infuriating, deliciously frustrating.

''I'll stay with you tonight,'' her lush lips parted, and he caught sight of her little pink tongue as she talked. ''But only tonight.''

Instantly, desire went through him, hot and heady. He craved her so badly...

_Tonight, she will be mine. Mine to taste, mine to touch, mine to know._

He wasn't used to feeling so possessive over a _girl, _but he did, and he thought that...he actually enjoyed the feeling.

''I don't care whether or not you like the thought of that, Belphegor,'' Len whispered. ''But I do. Tonight, you'll stay with me, and I'll make sure come morning you won't want to leave my side.''

He thought he saw flickers of fear and panic go through her vivid, forest-green eyes, and he smiled, feeling gleefully malicious. _Oh, I haven't felt so excited in such a long time._

''Don't worry, Miku...I won't eat you up.''


	18. Chapter 18

''I hate you.''

''The feeling is mutual.'' Len didn't turn away from his laptop, where there was a live feed of Rei's room running. His blue eyes were fixed upon the screen, watching his cousin pace the room. _What is he plotting now?_

''Why won't you just die already?'' Belphegor sighed and flipped the page of the book impatiently. He wondered which book she had taken from his bookshelves.

It seemed that Belphegor liked to read - unusual. She must have been very bored, down in Hell. Demons usually didn't have time to engage in leisure activity - they spent their time torturing and corrupting human souls.

_Demons taint pure human souls with their hands and lips, turning them from bright to dark, infecting them with sin._

_But can she do that to one who has already been corrupted?_

Len realised the direction in which his thoughts were going, and abruptly he stopped the train of thought. The voice in his mind stirred, growling at him.

_Oh, just shut up._

_I'll shut up when you stop thinking of her like that, Len Kagamine._

Len scowled. The voice didn't have any right to decide how he was going to think of the demon - if he wanted to desire Belphegor, well, he _could, _and he would -

A flash of pain shot through his head, and Len hissed, fingers automatically shooting up to his temple. The voice purred, clearly pleased.

_Fine. Whatever. I'll stop thinking of her like that. You're such a bastard, you know?_

_She's mine. Don't touch her._

That final thought, Len wasn't sure who had uttered - the voice or him? It was a question he really didn't know the answer to.

''In pain already, human?'' Belphegor crooned from his bed. ''That was fast. I didn't do anything, either - it's clearly retribution for all that you've done to me.''

Len whirled around, finally ignoring his cousin. ''You...'' he hissed, his fingers twitching. Itching to do something, anything - to wrap around her neck, throttle her?

To force her down beneath him on his bed so that he could have his way with her?

Both options sounded pleasing.

Without another word, he twisted back to the screen. His eyes widened - Rei was gone. He must have left the room.

_Damn. What's he up to, now?_

His fingers flew across the keyboard, closing the window and bringing up another screen - a whole series of security cameras, showing live footage throughout the whole house. He saw Rei in the screen of the kitchen's cameras.

Zooming in, he stared at what Rei Kagamine was doing - _making a sandwich._

He somehow felt that he had been cheated. Rei probably knew that Len was watching him, so he had purposely acted like he was planning something sinister, then did something as unexpected and trivial as _this, making a sandwich, _just to rile him up.

Rei was such a bastard. Len sighed and flipped the laptop closed, knowing that Rei wouldn't have anything else planned after his night time snack - Rei always got drowsy after food.

''You were saying?'' Belphegor challenged him, her green eyes filled with well-concealed anger and curiosity. ''You wanted to strangle me, didn't you?'' Her eyes flickered to his clenched fists. ''Human body language is pathetically easy to read. That's why mortals are so weak.''

''And how does the body language of demons differ from that of humans? In what way are _demons _superior to humans? Without humans, you'd wither away and die.''

Belphegor smirked. ''You have a point, Len Kagamine. I concede that. But nevertheless, human, admit that you wouldn't dare do half the things you've done to me had I not had my powers frozen.''

Len approached her, and she stared up at him without fear. ''There's nothing I wouldn't have dared to do, even if you had all your powers at your disposal,'' he bared his teeth. ''After all, even if you dared do anything to me, I can command your siblings to _punish _you, can't I?''

Belphegor's eyes narrowed in anger at him. ''Pathetic. Mortals hiding behind forces greater than them, forces they cannot hope to comprehend. I hate mortals.''

''And yet, this mortal _comprehends _demons enough to bind six cardinal ones to him, and render the seventh one human and helpless. Call me pathetic. Call me cowardly.'' Len leant close to her, his lips tilting up into a smile. ''I think it's called being smart.''

She spat at him, her emerald eyes flashing with ire, and he cupped her cheek, roughly tilting her chin up so he forced her to meet his gaze.

''You're a mortal now, Belphegor. Face the fact,'' Len hissed. ''And in the mortal world, you play by mortal rules. There are no second chances for us - we fight to survive. We listen to those superior to us. And can you claim to be superior to me, now? As a mere human?''

Belphegor wrenched her head free, teeth gritting. ''For now, Len Kagamine. Only for now. Once two months is over...''

''If I see that near the end of two months, you still have hostile intentions towards me, I'll simply fill you with holy water again,'' Len smirked. ''I'm not stupid, you know.'' His voice dropped to a low murmur. ''And nothing you do, no struggle, no protest, can stop me.''

Belphegor stared at him, her emerald eyes filled with shock. Then swiftly, unexpectedly, she lunged forward, her arms looping around his neck as she pressed her lips to his.

Len moaned - he couldn't help it, tasting the mix of spicy cinnamon and sweet vanilla. His arms wrapped around her, his fingers trailing down her back, feeling the soft skin like silk against his fingertips. Their lips moved together as their tongues danced, a deep, possessive kiss - who was possessive of who, he didn't know.

She broke away, and he snarled at her. She blinked, breathing heavily, her eyes heavy-lidded and sensuous. ''You won't really do that to hurt me now, would you?'' she breathed.

He almost said yes, he was so entranced by her guileless eyes, the fragile vulnerability she exuded, and he didn't want her hurt. Before the word could slip out, though, he caught himself and shook his head, blinking.

''Don't try to trick me. It's not going to work.'' He smirked at her, his fingers caressing her slender, graceful neck. She bared her teeth, the image of angelic innocence gone, showing the demonic side of her. The demon she really was. Len almost preferred this side of her.

The angelic vulnerability she showed sometimes...it frightened him. He didn't know why, but that fragility affected him in a way he couldn't explain. Not even to himself.

''I really hate you, mortal,'' she murmured, her arms still wrapped around his neck, her fingers digging deep into his skin.

He didn't flinch, didn't let her see that he felt any pain whatsoever. ''Like I've said before, Belphegor...the feeling is mutual.'' He pried her arms loose from around his neck, pushing her down onto his bed and straddling her before she could rise. Forcing her down.

He leant down so that they were nose-to-nose. Blue eyes clashed with green, and slowly he smiled, a smile filled with intent.

''You're going to regret playing with me like that.''


	19. Chapter 19

''That's one thing I'll never regret,'' Belphegor smiled sweetly up at him, not bothering to struggle. Len Kagamine would never let her go anyway - as a human, she was fragile. _Weak._

She despised this new-found weakness. Being human was something she _detested, _and she longed desperately for the two months to be over so that she could regain all her demon strength and powers.

Len Kagamine smirked, his blonde hair falling around his face as he stared down at her. His knuckles brushed lightly against her cheek as he straddled her, still not letting her up.

''You really do have a death wish, don't you?'' he whispered, reaching up to wind a lock of her teal hair around his fingers. ''I wonder...since you're human now, can I kill you? And what would happen to you, if you die? What would happen to our contract then?''

Belphegor froze - she hadn't thought about that. The possibility of her dying. She had no doubt that Len could kill her, and he would do so without remorse...but what would happen to her if she really did die, while trapped in this cage of weak mortal flesh?

She didn't want to think about that. Her eyes narrowed up at him. ''Are you thinking of killing me, then, Kagamine?''

''Maybe I am, who knows?'' his lips tilted up into a familiarly _infuriating _smirk. ''Do you know what I'm thinking right now, Belphegor? No, you don't.'' His voice dropped to a low, husky whisper. ''Ask me what I'm thinking.''

She glared up at him, her lips set into a mulish line. He tilted his head and waited, the spark of malicious mirth never leaving those frigid blue eyes. Instead, he just waited for her to speak, and eventually she sighed and gave in. ''What are you thinking?'' she asked grudgingly.

''I'm thinking of how much I'd like to have you, trapped beneath me, for eternity,'' his voice rasped out, the seductive brush of velvet against her ear making her shiver. ''I'm thinking of how much I _want _you, right at this moment. I'm thinking of how much I desire your touch. Your kiss. Your taste.'' His tongue flicked out against his lips, hunger in his eyes.

Belphegor blinked up at him, heart in her throat, her mind suddenly blank. _How does he expect me to respond to that?_

Before she could open her mouth to speak, his long, slender fingers were cupping her face, his lips meeting hers in a heated kiss which made her feel..._hungry. _She wanted to wrap her arms around him and sink her teeth into his shoulder, taste this human which was _hers, _and hers alone. Her toy, her possession to play with.

When had she started desiring his body as much as she desired his deliciously corrupted soul? Was it because of the carnal nature of the contract between them? She suspected it was - Belphegor normally couldn't stand humans.

_Humans are weak creatures. Len Kagamine is no exception - he is a mortal. Mortals die easily, their lives as transient and fast as a butterfly's. There's no point in getting involved with beings who die in the blink of an eye._

She pulled away from him, her arms reaching up to try and push him away. Without hesitating, he wrapped his fingers around her wrists and trapped her arms over her head so she couldn't move. His grip was like _iron _- try as she might, Belphegor couldn't break free.

''Let go,'' she bared her teeth at him, wishing at that moment that her green eyes would turn demon red. That colour change had been robbed from her too, though, and all she could do was glare at him helplessly.

''What if I don't want to?'' he teased, his free hand running against the long curve of her neck. ''I like having you trapped and helpless.''

''I'll eat you while you sleep,'' she threatened him. He chuckled, the laugh a rich and vibrant sound - she had to shiver.

''Just try,'' he whispered. Tension rose between them as both stared at each other, both of them not saying a word. Belphegor felt like she was drowning in the icy blue pools of his eyes.

And then again, his mouth claimed hers, and this time she couldn't pull away. Her lips parted, and then his tongue had slid in, clearly wanting more. Caught up in the passionate kiss, she let her tongue explore his mouth, the crisp fresh taste of mint, and she _felt, _rather than heard, him moan against her lips.

His body weight kept her trapped, but his grip on her wrists had loosened. She tugged her arms free, then wrapped them around his lean waist, not thinking about her actions. She just wanted him, at that moment - wanted him more than she wanted anything else.

That was until Len jerked away, hissing, his blue eyes widening. Belphegor blinked up at him, breathing heavily, her green locks of hair spilling all over his pillows.

He growled. ''Shut up,'' he muttered, and she wondered who he was speaking to. Her? ''Shut the hell up, you little bastard.'' He saw the look on her face. ''No, not you.''

''Not me?'' Belphegor raised her eyebrows. ''Then who, Kagamine? I don't see anyone else in this room right now,'' she pointed out sarcastically. His icy blue eyes narrowed.

''If I told you about a voice in my head, would you believe me then?'' he asked simply. ''There _are _cases such as that, aren't there? Cases where demons reach out to mortal sinners, on the surface world, from the depths of Hell and whisper in their minds, telling them to do things they normally wouldn't do?''

She just gaped at him. ''Are you accusing my siblings and I? We would _never _do anything like that,'' she concluded scathingly. ''The cardinal demons need not resort to such menial chores in order to obtain their supply of sinners.''

''Then who's the one whispering in my head?'' Len murmured, his blonde hair tickling her cheek. Belphegor inhaled, scenting frosty mint. The cold, unforgiving harshness of winter.

''I don't know,'' she said truthfully. ''How can you be sure that it's really one of my brethren? I mean...it might be something you yourself -''

''I am not hallucinating, or anything of the sort,'' Len snarled at her. ''It's someone else. I _know _it. Ever since I was thirteen that voice has been messing with my head, and I'm sick of it. It's even controlling what I can _do _now, damn it.''

''How?'' she asked, her hand cupping his cheek. He stared down at her, for once uncertainty in his eyes. Finally, he sighed.

''It makes my head hurt like hell when I do something it doesn't want me to do,'' he said bluntly. ''Like kissing you. It really hates it when I do that, for some reason,'' his lips tilted up into a pained smile. ''It kept claiming you as his. Which pisses me off.''

Belphegor let out a gasp. ''I know of only one person who would dare lay claim to me like that. Someone...who I've not seen for _millennia,_'' Len thought her voice held a trace of longing.

''Who?'' Len asked, curious. And a little jealous. The voice purred once more, satisfied.

''Piko Utatane,'' her voice wavered. ''Also known as Uriel, the Archangel of Repentance.''


	20. Chapter 20

''And what right does he have to you?'' Len hissed at her, teeth bared into a snarl. Belphegor blinked up at him, hesitant. _I don't have to tell him anything about my past._

She opened her mouth to say those words, but instead her lips formed another sentence, one that she hadn't intended to speak. ''Uriel was my...lover, back when I was one of the Fourteen Archangels of Heaven.''

Was that jealousy which flickered through those cerulean eyes? ''Do you still keep in contact with him, now? While you were in Hell?''

She shook her head. ''It is...frowned upon,'' she admitted quietly, ''for the archangels to interact with the cardinal demons, unless they regard important spiritual matters. Though the cardinal demons were once archangels themselves, we are no longer _them. _Demons and angels are total opposites, and that cannot be forgotten.''

''Then what right does he have to you now?'' Len snarled. ''You're _mine. I _was the one who bound you to me, not _him. _He can't claim to have any relationship with you anymore.''

Belphegor couldn't meet his gaze. ''I loved him, Len,'' she said, her voice still soft. ''Even if you don't believe that it is possible for demons to love, I still do. And that _can't _change.''

Len slid off her, his mesmerising blue eyes seething with fury. ''In what way am I inferior to him?'' he spat. ''He's just this...annoying...voice buzzing around in my head!'' Right after he finished speaking, he gasped, his hand shooting to his forehead.

''Uriel, stop it,'' Belphegor reached out to press against Len's hand. ''If you're really that upset, come here and talk to me, face to face.''

There was a momentary silence, then there was suddenly another figure in the room, a figure dressed in a white denim jacket and white, hugging jeans - clothes that most mortals wouldn't expect an archangel to be wearing. Belphegor had to smile.

His silver hair fell carelessly around his face, and his unique eyes stared back at hers. His left eye was green, a lush forest green like her own. While his right eye...its vivid blue somehow reminded her of Len. His full lips tilted up into a small smile.

''Miku,'' he hesitated, glancing at Len. ''Belphegor,'' he corrected himself. ''It's been a long time, hasn't it?''

''Several millenia,'' she shrugged her shoulders while Len stared at the archangel, clearly too stunned for words. ''Why are you messing around with Len? This...isn't like you.''

''Maybe I've changed,'' he admitted, his long fingers sliding under his fall of silvery-white hair. ''Maybe the Uriel you once knew isn't the Uriel you know now. Maybe _he _mourned your absence so much, he forgot who he was.''

He was still as handsome, as seductive, as _un-angel-like, _as she remembered...''Really, Uriel? I'm touched.'' Her eyes narrowed at him. ''Why? You have a reason. Though I'm no longer one of the archangels, there's no harm in telling me now, is there?''

''Maybe there is. I wouldn't know,'' he shrugged, a teasing grin crossing his perfect face. ''But why do you want to know?'' his voice dropped to an intense whisper, his playful manner becoming serious. ''Who is Len Kagamine to you, Belphegor?''

Len finally recovered from his shock, and now he rose from the bed, his blue eyes narrowing. ''I want to know too. What business do you have with me, angel?''

Uriel's dual-coloured eyes slid over lazily to meet his. ''I don't have to reveal that, do I? Humans shouldn't interfere with angel affairs. You wouldn't understand, anyway...''

''When _I'm _the human you angels are messing with?'' Len smiled grimly. ''I think not. Surely I have a right to know why the mighty, great archangel Uriel has an _interest _in _me_.''

''I'll speak to Belphegor about this,'' Uriel drawled, running his fingers through his hair. ''To Belphegor, and her alone. Whether or not she wants to tell you _anything _is up to her. If she chooses not to say anything...'' he shrugged elegantly, his face clearly disinterested.

''Tell me, then,'' Belphegor demanded. Uriel shot her an amused look, then shook his head.

''My, my,'' he tutted. ''Still as impatient as ever, my sweet angel,'' he sighed. ''I'll tell you in due time. Now, I need to go back to the heavens - Gabriel is calling for me. He seems most displeased.''

Then he approached Belphegor, his eyes searching hers. ''I've missed you, you know,'' he murmured. ''And throughout the millenia, I've never thought of anyone else. I still want you as mine, and I'm not going to give you up,'' his eyes slanted over to Len. ''Not even to your little pet. It's just the carnal nature of your contract with him, that's all.''

Quickly, he leant down and kissed her, a short and sweet kiss, then without another word he disappeared, going back to Heaven.

Len hissed, his handsome face filled with maliciousness. ''Stupid angel, walking in here like he owns the place...'' he muttered. Once again, he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. ''Get out of my head,'' he mumbled viciously.

''He won't. He has an objective to fulfill, and he won't leave you until it has been completed.'' Belphegor knew Uriel very well.

''What kind of relationship did the two of you have?'' he demanded, his blue eyes still ablaze with anger. She swallowed, suddenly nervous of the fury in his expression.

"I already told you…he was my lover," she mumbled. His face softened, and that just made her even more nervous than she already was – that softening was nothing at all like Len Kagamine's usual behaviour.

"How close were you, as lovers?" he asked, his voice a soft murmur. She blinked at him. _Why would he want to know about something that private?_

"Close," she admitted suspiciously. "I loved him. He loved me. We were always together…your typical love story. Why do you ask?"

"That doesn't sound particularly interesting," he smirked. "Predictability. You don't like anything like that, do you? Not from the Belphegor who I know. And I can provide you something so much more…interesting than that," his voice became a low, sensuous whisper. Belphegor didn't know how to react, so she stayed silent.

"I don't like seeing you with him," Len continued, his voice still that same velvet, seductive murmur. "I don't like that fact that you allow him to claim you as his, and don't allow me to do the same thing. It's extremely…irritating."

"Demons and humans can never be together, Kagamine. Don't ever think otherwise," she told him, and she wondered why she felt so unexpectedly disappointed. "Nor am I a possession that you can claim to be yours – I am not a thing."

His blue eyes glazed over, turning back to those icy glaciers which she knew so well. "Regardless, you'll stay with me tonight, won't you?" he asked charmingly. "You _promised_, after all…you won't break your promise, will you?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. "I'll stay, but only because I promise to. Not because of anything else." He smiled at her, a loving smile which was at odds with his usual prickly personality. She didn't understand what he wanted from her, or why his attitude kept changing around her – sometimes cold, sometimes almost…tender.

But she couldn't deny the flutter of excitement she felt at sharing his bed tonight.


	21. Chapter 21

Belphegor felt Len's fingers trail across her waist, and reaching down she slapped his fingers away. ''Don't touch me.''

''Why not?'' he breathed in her ear, as seductive and sensuous as ever. Belphegor shivered against him, and there was an answering chuckle, barely audible in the darkness.

Yes, so they were lying together. On Len Kagamine's bed. It didn't mean that anything had to come out of it. And anyway, she didn't _want _anything to happen between them.

At least, she thought she didn't. Because she was a demon, and he was a human - they were completely different species. It wouldn't be so bad if he were an angel, at least angels were spiritual beings like the demons...

Belphegor mentally slapped herself. _No, I should be glad that he's a human. I can't stand him. He's so irritating._

To prove her point, his hands now roamed across her upper arms, teasingly stroking her skin. She jerked his hand off.

''So stubborn,'' he murmured, and she felt him take a lock of her long teal hair. ''But so soft, at the same time. A really irresistible combination, do you know that, Miku?''

''Stop calling me by my name,'' Belphegor muttered, her cheeks warming. She was thankful the room was dark, and she was facing away from him so he couldn't see her blush. _Why had I told him what was my actual name, that time? It was a moment of weakness...but that's not an good excuse, is it?_

''You can't do anything, even if I want to,'' she could practically _hear _him smirking. ''I mean, Miku is a much...cuter name than Belphegor.''

''That's just in your opinion,'' though secretly, she had to agree with him. She much preferred her given name over her demon one. ''And stop touching me. I'm serious, Len.''

''I like touching you. You're soft,'' she felt him nuzzle into the crook of her neck. Belphegor sat up crossly, and he followed her. Even in the darkness of the room, she could sense he was smiling that familiar, triumphant smile at her.

''I'm going to go sleep on your couch,'' she announced to the blonde human. Another laugh, this one more sinister.

''I don't think it'll be very comfortable for both of us,'' he said smoothly. ''Where you go, Belphegor, I'm going to follow...and nothing you do can stop me,'' the last few words were spoken sweetly, and Belphegor blinked.

''You're evil,'' she protested, crossing her arms over her chest. Turning, she started to get off the bed, but then his arms looped around her waist, forcing her back down so she settled comfortably upon his lap.

''Where do you think you're going?'' he crooned in her ear, and she exhaled softly. Why was it that she wanted this human so badly?

''Out of your room,'' she replied, her voice wavering a little. His long fingers found her chin, and he turned her head around so she was forced to look into his eyes.

''I didn't give you the permission to do that, did I?'' his fingers stroked her cheek. ''And you promised to stay with me...''

''Promises can be broken,'' she retorted, her heart thudding in her chest. There was an answering sigh, and then his arms tightened around her waist.

''Only if they're given the chance to be broken,'' he whispered, then before she knew it he had kissed her. She hated to admit it, but his kisses were starting to become so familiar...

She pulled away, though a little reluctantly. ''No touching,'' she said harshly. ''I promised to stay with you, but I never agreed to let you kiss me,'' she smirked. He couldn't deny that.

''I'll stop trying to molest you if you allow me to hold you while I sleep,'' he bargained, and once again those blue eyes were flickering with amusement. ''Simple enough, no?''

_Ugh. He's so frustrating. Is he even human?_

''Fine. But only because you'd do that even if I didn't agree,'' she tossed her head, turning away from him stubbornly.

He lay down, pulling her down with him, against his chest, and Belphegor found that she enjoyed being held against him. His body was lean and toned, and she could feel the flat muscles, even through the fabric of her clothes.

''You smell so good,'' his whisper was so soft she wondered if she had imagined it. But she didn't speak, and he didn't say anything else, so she pushed the comment aside, closing her eyes as she tried to go to sleep.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Belphegor knew she had to be dreaming, because there was no way she and Len could both be in Hell. And why was Len wearing a dress? And a white bow? It made no sense.

''Belphegor!'' Len was shouting at her, in a strangely high-pitched voice. ''Are you listening to me? Do you know how tiring it is to communicate with someone via dreams?''

Belphegor wondered what she had done wrong this time. Len usually didn't shout at her for no reason. Wait...Len usually didn't shout at all. ''Len? Why are you in my dream?''

Len recoiled. ''_Len?_'' Len seethed. ''I'm insulted! How could you mistake me for that...that mortal? I'm your sister!''

Belphegor blinked. ''Oh. Lucifer,'' she rubbed at her eyes. ''Strange, you really do look like Len. Haven't you noticed?''

''No, I've never focused on him,'' Lucifer placed her hands on her hips. ''Why should I pay attention to a mere mortal? I doubt we really resemble that much.''

Belphegor thought there was uncertainty in Lucifer's voice. ''So why are you in my dream? Where are all the others?''

''I wanted to check up on you. The others are out on the surface world,'' Lucifer explained. ''What happened to you? Why can't you come back to Hell?''

Belphegor explained, and as she did Lucifer's blue eyes narrowed, turning crimson red. ''That...that little bastard!'' she screeched. ''How _dare _he do something like that to you! I'm going to find him, and when I do I'll think of a way to make him wish he had never been born...''

Belphegor realised Lucifer was serious, and she blinked, panic surfacing in her. ''Maybe you should stay down here. I'm fine. Really.''

Lucifer shot her a glare, then the connection was cut. Belphegor shot awake, gasping, and looked up to see her blonde sister standing next to her, blue eyes murderous as she stared at Len Kagamine.

''Lucifer!'' Belphegor reached out for her sister's hand, but she saw Lucifer's face as she stared at Len Kagamine, and realised she didn't have to calm her sister down after all. The anger was lessening, turning to confusion.

Lucifer blinked, then tilted her head towards the door, telling Belphegor to follow her outside. Lucifer then slipped out of the room, and Belphegor sat up, intending to follow.

Len's arms tightened around her waist, and she glanced back at him. His eyes were still shut as he slept, and she hesitated. Finally, she pried his arms loose and went after her sister.

Lucifer was waiting impatiently in the hallway outside. ''That boy...that boy is no mere human,'' was the first thing Lucifer hissed to her. Belphegor blinked again, then held back a sceptical laugh.

''Really, Lucifer?'' Belphegor choked back a giggle. ''How could he be anything but human? I mean, wouldn't you have noticed it when you and the others made a deal with him?''

''I wasn't paying attention to how he looked!'' Lucifer was growing agitated. ''Look, Belphegor, this is serious -'' she paused, her head tilting. ''Demon?'' she sounded puzzled.

''What demon?'' Belphegor's voice lowered as her sister sniffed at the air. Belphegor had lost her superior senses ever since she had turned human. Unfortunately.

''There's another demon here besides me,'' Lucifer hissed. ''Come on,'' she set off down the passageway, and Belphegor followed warily.

Another demon? How could she not have sensed that? Demons were all inter-linked, after all...

They stopped outside Rei Kagamine's door. Belphegor's eyes widened. ''Rei Kagamine? That's not possible. He's a human - he's Len Kagamine's cousin!''

''Not everything is at it seems,'' Lucifer held a finger to her lips. Slowly, she pushed the door open, and they walked in.

Rei was sitting up in bed, and his honey eyes darted over to Lucifer and Belphegor. ''Pride and Sloth,'' he purred. ''How glad I am, that you can join me,'' he tilted his head.

''Who are you?'' Belphegor demanded. ''Which demon are you, Rei Kagamine?''

Those honey eyes flashed, turning red. ''Well, Belphegor, why don't you have a guess?''


	22. Chapter 22

Belphegor and Lucifer exchanged a glance. ''How about you stop playing games and just tell us how a mere human could become a demon?'' Belphegor asked, cocking her head.

Rei smirked and shook his head. ''Now, what's the fun in that? You really don't know who I am?'' his voice rang with disappointment - whether it was real or fake, Belphegor couldn't tell. ''Sad, that you know so little.''

''How can you smell both human and demon, at the same time?'' Lucifer hissed, stepping closer to Belphegor, but a little ahead of her. Belphegor understood - her sister was making sure she was protected, in case Rei tried anything.

Rei shrugged. ''You'll know why if you can figure out who I am,'' his red eyes shone with mirth. ''If you can't, then you're not worthy of knowing, are you?'' his tone was challenging.

''At least give us a clue,'' Belphegor folded her arms across her chest as she shot the...whatever he was a glare. ''There are plenty of demons, down in Hell.'' Rei's smirk widened.

''How much do you know about our own history?'' he asked, in response. Belphegor and Lucifer blinked, but he continued. ''How much do you know about demonology? About how demons came to exist?''

''Pandora's box was opened at the dawn of mankind, and all the evils of the world, the sins, ran out of it. The demons are those beings who were chosen to host the rampant sins.'' Belphegor answered confidently. Unlike her siblings, she had so much free time that she could read for leisure, and she knew about the history of their kind.

''Right. Smart girl,'' Rei said condescendingly, placing his arms behind his head, the very picture of relaxed confidence. Lucifer twitched, and Belphegor could tell Rei's arrogance was starting to get to her. ''So, assuming that the Faceless One isn't a demon...how many tiers of demon are there, in Hell?''

''Two?'' Lucifer answered, sounding confused. ''The lesser demons, and the cardinal seven.''

''Wrong,'' Rei said easily. ''Four, rather. At the bottom would be the lesser demons - Nightmares, Obsession, Fear, the like. The ones that aren't allowed out of Hell.''

''We're next, aren't we?'' Belphegor piped up, getting drawn into the history lesson Rei was giving, despite herself. He inclined his head.

''Yes, the seven cardinal demons, the Lords of Hell. Arrogance, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony and Lust. The seven most unforgivable sins, in the eyes of Heaven.''

''Then how can there be anything above us, besides the Faceless One?'' Lucifer still sounded hostile, but there was a hint of curiosity in her voice. Rei smirked at her.

''The Faceless One has personal _aides..._haven't you ever heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? The Conqueror, War, Famine, and Death. The four horsemen which, like the lesser demons, can never be allowed out of Hell lest they wreak havoc upon the surface...''

''I thought those were mere legends,'' Belphegor mumbled. Rei, looking amused, shook his head, his black hair falling into his still-red eyes.

''They exist, the four horsemen, and up till now they remain bound to the Faceless One, desperate to escape the chains of Hell. They desire nothing more than to leave Hell and bring the apocalypse to the mortal world.''

''I assume you're not one of the four horsemen, then?'' Lucifer snorted. ''Are you one of the minor demons, then?''

''Oh, of course not.'' Rei laced his fingers together, placing his interlocked hands beneath his chin. ''So, let's continue the story of Pandora's box...after all the sins ran rampant, wasn't there one more thing, left behind in the box? One that was trapped?''

''Hope,'' Belphegor said easily. At the name, her sin, Sloth, hissed and recoiled, making her blink in surprise. Her sin usually wasn't so active, and she wondered why the name invoked such a reaction in the normally dozing sin.

''It was released, in the end. Pandora opened the box, and released the last being. Hope was the only one that could help mankind with all the released sins, wasn't it?'' Lucifer cocked her head in curiosity.

''No. In fact, Hope was cunning. It was the biggest sin of all,'' Rei's lips tilted up into a smile. ''It was the only sin that went rampant on the surface with no demon to contain it, because everyone believed that it was a _good thing,_'' his smile turned into a sneer.

''So...hope is the last tier? Is that it? But...how can it be a demon, if there's no vessel to contain the sin? How is _Hope _even a sin?'' Belphegor wondered what point Rei was trying to make, even as Sloth hissed once more.

''Don't you find Hope rather destructive?'' Rei asked back. ''It makes you believe, then tears everything down...there's a reason why it was trapped in the box, with all the other sins...because it was the most dangerous sin of all. To hope is to sin, in itself.''

''But...'' Lucifer stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. They flickered, constantly changing between cerulean blue and red. ''The Archangel Remiel, isn't he Hope? How is that a sin?''

Rei shrugged. ''Hope has different sides. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing too, you know? Remiel is pure Hope - he is the driving force which enables mankind to do great things,'' his crimson eyes narrowed in thought. ''The Hope which was trapped in Pandora's box...is _twisted _Hope. It brings people's hope up, then delights in tearing their wills down.''

Gracefully, the demon slid off the bed and stood before Belphegor and Lucifer, taller than both of them. ''The sin, Hope, and the virtue, Hope...are not the same. Don't forget that. In fact, it would be more accurate to call the sin _Defeat._''

Sloth snarled, this time - Belphegor wondered what was wrong with the sin. Her green eyes slid over to Rei's. ''And Defeat would be the fourth tier, then? A class of its own?''

''Of course,'' Rei sighed. ''Don't tell me even after that whole lecture, you can't figure out who I am? Truly, that's saddening...'' a sudden wave of calmness and peace filled her, a strong belief that _everything _would work out fine -

Lucifer clutched at her arm. ''That's not us,'' she whispered, her fingers digging into her skin. ''It's external hope, Miku. Don't believe it.''

Belphegor shook her head, blinking. ''You...Rei Kagamine. You're Defeat, aren't you? The other side of Hope.''

Rei's lips parted, but before he could say anything the door was flung open, and someone with tousled blonde hair and fierce, glacial blue eyes stared at the gathered trio.

''Tell me what the hell is going on,'' Len Kagamine whispered, his voice dripping with venom.


	23. Chapter 23

Rei's lips tilted up into a slight smile. ''So glad that you can join us, _cousin dear,_'' his voice rang with sarcasm. ''Or should I even call you a cousin, when we aren't even of the same species?'' his red eyes slowly faded back to golden honey, his black hair shielding them.

''I'm human. And I never knew I had a demon for a cousin,'' Len hissed, stepping past Belphegor and Lucifer so he was nose-to-nose with Rei. ''Who are you? You're not Rei.''

''I've changed, cousin of mine,'' Rei Kagamine said simply. ''Maybe I wasn't born a demon...but people can always become one, you know?''

''How?'' Lucifer asked, suspicious. The person who hosted Defeat looked at her, eyes glimmering with amusement.

''Isn't someone curious?'' he crooned. ''Well...it all happened when I got desperate. I was going to summon some of the demons - how old was I? Twelve, I think. I was sick and tired of always being compared to _Len Kagamine,_'' his lips curled into a sneer. ''Hope, the sin, answered my call. And it made a deal with me. The sin knew it could wreak more havoc with a vessel, and I was a willing host.''

''You sacrificed your humanity to host a sin?'' Belphegor whispered. ''Are you insane?''

''Me? Of course not,'' Rei smiled once more. ''I am here to take everything away from my cousin.'' The demon began circling Len. ''You know how your parents died, Len? It wasn't in a car crash. People told you that, the newspapers reported that, but they didn't die in that car.''

''Then how did they die?'' those glacial eyes followed his cousin around as Len tried to control his temper. There was no advantage in letting Rei see him lose control.

''I killed them, of course,'' Rei smirked, his fingers drifting up to his mouth. Slowly, his tongue flicked out, against his hand. ''Their blood was sweet...I wonder what your blood would taste like?'' he murmured. ''After they died, it was a simple enough task to make it look like a car crash...''

''Why did you kill them, you heartless bastard?'' Len seethed, his arms reaching out so that his fingers wrapped around Rei's neck, slamming the black-haired demon against the wall. Rei began to laugh, almost hysterically, and Lucifer and Belphegor exchanged glances. Should they step forward and intervene?

''Heartless? What about you, yourself?'' Rei spat. ''Dare you say you're not as cruel as I am? I will take everything you have, Len Kagamine, and I will make you regret everything you've ever done to me,'' his honey eyes flickered to Lucifer. ''Or I could destroy your life, as you know it, right here, right now,'' he whispered.

Lucifer's eyes widened. ''No,'' she said quietly, a warning. ''Don't you dare say anything to him. No one is supposed to know. I don't know how you know, but that...''

Len's head whipped around. ''What are _you _doing here, Lucifer?'' his voice snapped out, harsh. ''Here to try killing me in my sleep?''

''I had that chance, and I didn't take it,'' Lucifer retorted. ''Trust me, boy, if it wasn't for my sister...'' her voice trailed off. ''Defeat, don't say anything. You know the repercussions.''

Rei shrugged. ''I don't. I haven't been demon for very long, remember? Only for...six years, has it been? Shorter than the blink of an eye, as compared to you.'' His eyes glinted with intent, and he smiled, a sinister smile.

Lucifer stepped forward, closer to the pair, away from Belphegor. ''_Don't you dare,_'' she growled low in her throat. Len's eyes narrowed as she and Rei glared at each other.

''Don't say what?'' Len's eyes snapped to Rei. ''Tell me,'' he said, voice soft. Rei smiled, a taunting smile.

''So much to say,'' he mumbled. ''What do you want to know, my cousin? The truth of your heritage? What you were born to be? Or, even better...do you want to know what your parents asked Mammon and Leviathian for?''

''What? What did they ask for?'' Len's fingers tightened around Rei's collar. ''Tell me!''

''Rei Kagamine!'' Lucifer's voice cut through, piercingly loud. ''Don't go against the meta-physical laws...you don't want to deal with the Faceless One, do you?'' Lucifer was growing agitated - it wasn't allowed, for demons to divulge the details of other contracts to humans. Not to mention, this particular deal...

''Lucifer, I command you to shut up,'' Len snarled. His eyes never left Rei's. ''Tell me, Rei Kagamine - what kind of deal did my parents make? Was it why you killed them?''

''Hm? No - they died simply because they were related to you. And I don't like you,'' Rei's eyes narrowed. ''But the deal they made...oh, it was beautiful. The sharpest deal I've ever heard of. Truly, if one has to bargain with the devil, then yes, this has to be the best deal to make.''

Lucifer's mouth opened, but nothing came out. Oh, how she hated Len Kagamine - but how could she, now that she knew his true identity? There was no mistaking who he was...she still felt guilty, after all these years, and she _had _to make it up to him, somehow.

Even if he was now stuck in the body of the most infuriating human she had ever had the misfortune to encounter. The words were vaguely familiar, and she recalled that Belphegor had once used that to describe Len Kagamine. Huh. Accurate.

Speaking of which, why was her precious baby sister so quiet? Belphegor had always been soft-spoken, but this was new. She turned, then her eyes widened.

She began gesturing frantically at the pair. Len glanced at her, then sighed and rolled his eyes. ''You may speak now,'' he said shortly.

''Belphegor, she's missing!'' Lucifer gasped out, worrying for her sister. Where had she gone? How had she disappeared without any noise?

Len's hands released Rei, and the demon dropped down to the floor, coughing. Len's cerulean eyes, just like Lucifer's, were wide with panic. ''When?''

''I don't know!'' Lucifer screeched, semi-hysterical. Belphegor was _human _now - she couldn't possibly have disappeared without a trace! Where could she be?

''I was wondering when you'd notice,'' Rei's voice was slightly hoarse, from the strangling Len had just put him through. ''Someone just popped in, put a hand over her mouth and disappeared along with her...I'm surprised neither of you noticed. They were so close to the both of you, after all.''

''What did he look like? This new person,'' Lucifer's voice whipped at Rei. Rei seemed completely unaffected by the savageness of Lucifer's voice, simply shrugging.

''Hm? That person? He was dressed in white...I suppose that'd make him an archangel. One of the current seven, at any rate. Silver hair. Dual-coloured eyes, one blue one green.''

Len and Lucifer exchanged a glance. ''Uriel,'' they both whispered. Len continued. ''What does he want with her?'' he hissed through gritted teeth. ''She...she's mine!''

''She's not yours, Kagamine,'' Lucifer retorted. ''I'd never stand for that. But I do wonder, what's Uriel up to...he had always been overprotective of Miku - I mean, Belphegor,'' her eyes darted over to him.

''I know that's her name,'' Len sighed. ''Can you go up to Heaven and see what's going on?''

Lucifer shook her head. ''Angels cannot enter Hell. Demons cannot enter Heaven,'' her eyes lingered on him in a curious way which made him feel faintly uncomfortable. ''There are some exceptions, of course...but I don't know them.''

''Then do we sit here and wait for him to bring her back? Would he even do that?''

''Uriel? Hah. I doubt he ever would,'' Rei mumbled, rubbing his neck with the tips of his long fingers. ''Everyone knows how much the archangel loved his little demon...''

Len twisted around and punched him in the face, and Rei's eyelids fluttered before he collapsed, unconscious. Len blew on his knuckles. ''You're annoying me,'' he muttered, casting the demon a murderous glance.

''Yes, we sit here and wait,'' Lucifer continued as though nothing had happened. ''And we hope Uriel brings her back whole.''

Len seemed to have completely forgotten about the deal his parents had made, and his origins - for now. ''Fine. Go back to Hell, then, Lucifer. I want to be alone,'' he turned away and strode out of the room, locking it from outside.

Lucifer sighed and disappeared, back below the surface. _How long before something slips, though? He's bound to find out something, eventually...and I can't afford to let him know about his heritage. Not at this point._

_Miku. Are you okay? What's Uriel doing to you, in Heaven? Don't fall for him again._


	24. Chapter 24

Belphegor sighed and sat in one of the comfortable armchairs in the room. A very familiar room, though she hadn't been there for millennia - Uriel's room, in Heaven.

Uriel ran his fingers through his silver hair, looking faintly bored. ''You had a reason to call out for me, didn't you?'' he asked bluntly. ''Because Lucifer will want to kill me for snatching you away without any excuse.''

''You promised that you'll tell me everything. About why you're messing around in Len's head. And I think that's more important than dealing with Defeat, for the time being.''

Uriel arched an eyebrow. ''Defeat? Hope has actually managed to find a willing vessel? That's news...I'll be telling that to Remiel,'' gracefully he began to glide out of the room. Belphegor folded her arms and frowned at him.

''Uriel!'' she stared at his retreating back, and the archangel heaved a heavy sigh, turning back around to face her. There was obvious reluctance in his dual-coloured eyes. ''Angels aren't supposed to break their promises. And if you refuse to tell me, I'm telling Lucifer that you kidnapped me against my will.''

Uriel sighed again and crossed back over to her, sitting in the armchair opposite hers. ''I never should have answered to your call,'' he muttered. ''It brought nothing but trouble.''

Belphegor just sat there, looking stony-faced. Uriel's eyes flicked up to meet hers, slightly amused now. ''You're still so stubborn, Miku.''

''I know,'' was all she said. ''This concerns Len, Uriel - I _have _to know. What did he ever do to warrant you tampering with his psyche like that? It isn't like you.''

Uriel ignored the question, responding with one of his own. ''So what if it concerns Len Kagamine? Who is he to you, Miku?''

Belphegor froze, wondering about that herself as Uriel's dual-coloured eyes stared intently into hers. Who _was _Len to her? Her prey, her human, her contract she was bound to? Or was he more than that to her? She didn't know, nor did she want to think about it. She didn't want to consider the idea that she might actually care for the mortal, for Len Kagamine.

''He's a human I'm bound to, and as a result his business is mine,'' she finally said. Uriel looked dissatisfied with her answer, but he nodded anyway, looking pensive.

''So...the reason why I've been whispering in Len Kagamine's mind for so long...it's because of the deal his parents made, with Leviathian and Mammon,'' he laced his fingers together, propping them under his chin.

Belphegor looked up, curious. ''And what was the deal they made?'' she asked slowly. Uriel smirked, tilting his head.

''Wouldn't you like to find out, Miku?'' he asked. ''To be honest, Leviathian and Mammon weren't the ones who made the deal with his parents. They were just instruments used to summon the _Faceless One,_'' his voice was a low whisper. Belphegor stiffened.

''You mean the actual bargain was made between his parents and the Faceless One?'' Belphegor whispered. ''Then...it must have been for something priceless. Something so precious, so valuable, people would kill for it...''

''If you can consider gifting their son with the ability to destroy Heaven and Hell after his death a precious thing, then yes, I suppose so,'' Uriel snorted. She blinked at him.

''They asked the Faceless One to give _Len Kagamine _the ability to destroy the two spiritual realms?'' Belphegor couldn't believe it. That kind of bargain had never been heard of, and she wondered what price had been paid for it. ''Did he actually grant them that?''

''What do you think?'' came Uriel's droll reply. ''The only reason we - as in, the Seven Archangels - knew about it was because we happened to be listening. I don't know why the cardinal demons don't know about this.''

Belphegor sighed. ''I don't know either. I'll ask Lucifer about this later,'' her thoughts drifted onto a different path. ''So your point in tampering with his thoughts was to...?''

''Make him sin. Sin enough that he captured the attention of the cardinal demons. Then let his soul be ingested so he will never be able to make use of his ability,'' Uriel said softly. ''It was a drastic action, made to resolve this issue, but would you have done any different in my place, Miku?'' he seemed to plead with her.

She didn't know. She probably would have done the same thing as him. ''Then what did the other Six think of that? Your actions were not befitting of an archangel, after all.''

His eyes turned bitter. ''That's what they kept saying,'' he said icily. ''Trust Len, they said. Believe that he won't ever make use of his gifts. That he won't destroy the two realms. I don't believe he won't try - absolute power corrupts absolutely, and humans all have flaws.''

''You're so cynical, Uriel,'' Belphegor tilted her head. ''Len has good in him, you know. It's a strange thing, his soul - it's a struggle between light and dark...almost as though he doesn't want to be committing all these sins, though he does seem to revel in them.''

''I know that,'' Uriel glanced up at her. ''I've heard his thoughts, remember? Convincing him to sin was incredibly difficult...'' his tone was musing. ''He's unique, that one. But it doesn't mean he definitely won't do anything. Once he dies, if his soul isn't eaten, then he'll _know _what he can do...what if he gets greedy?''

''How will destroying the two spiritual realms benefit him, in any way?'' Belphegor asked Uriel, exasperated. He cocked an eyebrow.

''He gets a chance to play God and Satan. Literally,'' Uriel said bluntly. ''The Faceless One and the Divine Lord are connected to their realms. Destroy their realms, and you destroy them. Len would have free reign, then.''

Her eyes widened. ''God, why did the Faceless One agree to something so stupid?'' she muttered. ''He practically just signed his own death treaty,'' she added savagely.

''Then again, you'll have to assume he wants to destroy the two realms, once he dies...'' Uriel hesitated. ''Which I believe he will want to, given his current mindset.''

''Which you pushed him into,'' Belphegor pointed out. He exhaled, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

''I was trying to get him to sin at the time. I think I went...a little overboard,'' he admitted quietly, his gaze averted. Belphegor narrowed her eyes in thought.

''So...if that's the reason why you took such a strange interest in him...then what of Defeat? What does _Defeat _have against Len?''

''I don't know about that. I didn't even know that Hope had gotten itself a vessel. And I need to tell Remiel that. I'll be right back.'' With that, Uriel disappeared, leaving her alone.

She settled back to wait, wondering what was happening between Len and Rei now.

And most of all, why was Len's soul so conflicted? How could light co-exist with all that dark without being swallowed up?


	25. Chapter 25

''Doing this isn't any use, you know. I'm not going to reveal anything, and Belphegor won't return any sooner either.''

Rei was the picture of composed calm, even as he was bound up in ropes and surrounded in salt. Salt weakened demons, too - salt was a pure substance, and demons couldn't cross anything that was pure. Salt could make a simple, but highly effective boundary.

He had awoken about ten minutes ago, and Len had managed to restrain the demon who wore his cousin's face enough that he couldn't break free and escape. Not that Rei seemed to care.

''Let's drop my heritage for now,'' Len breathed, his blue eyes narrowed. ''Tell me, Rei - how did you get the sin Hope to visit you?''

At that, the demon's golden eyes narrowed. ''Why do you want to know, cousin? Do you seek to attain demon-hood, as well?''

Len recoiled. ''Don't insult me,'' he spat. ''I have better uses for my body than to simply allow it to be used as a vessel for sins,'' his eyes darted to the books on the shelves. One of them was a record, filled with a list of demons, from the minor demons all the way to the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Defeat, also known as Hope, was listed above the Four Horsemen. It was a dangerous sin which was not supposed to be allowed out of Pandora's box. A sin which revelled in havoc and chaos, a sin which hungered after broken promises and shattered dreams.

_Is Hope a sin?_

''Then I see no reason for you to know,'' Rei closed his eyes, looking serene. Len was nowhere near as composed as his cousin was, though, and he had to restrain himself from walking over and choking the life out of the black-haired boy. Provided he could die, to begin with. Was it possible to conquer Defeat?

''And there's no reason for me not to know, either,'' Len let his lips tilt up into a taunting smirk. ''You're a demon, Rei. And demons are all infected by one thing, aren't they?''

Rei's eyes snapped open, flickering red. ''I thought you used up all your holy water, injecting it into Sloth's veins.''

''It's not wise to assume things, cousin,'' Len breathed, dropping his playful demeanour. ''And if you don't tell me, so help me, I will fill your veins with so much poison you'll remain human for the rest of your immortal life. Now tell me, how did you become a demon?''

Rei snarled, admitting defeat. ''You win, Len.'' He pursed his lips in thought. ''It's simple. Defeat likes the feeling of lost dreams, you know? And it follows that. It came to me one night, on a night filled with despair. And it said to me, why not become a vessel? Become a demon. There's nothing left for me anyway.''

''Does Aunt Lenka know about this?'' Len questioned. Rei laughed softly, his face sceptical. Carelessly, he tossed his fringe out of his eyes, shooting Len a contemptuous look.

''Do you really think I'll tell her I'm no longer human? She would send me to a mental institution,'' Rei snorted. ''That's why I spent so much time away from home.''

''And no one ever caught you? Not even the seven cardinal demons?'' Len had to admit that he was impressed. Grudgingly.

''There's something called staying under the radar, Len,'' Rei's lips curled into a sneer. ''Something you would no doubt need lessons on. Everyone knows who you are, isn't that so?'' his voice dripped with bitterness.

Len laced his fingers together, propping them under his chin as he stared at the vessel of Defeat. His eyes narrowed in thought. ''Jealous, Rei? I never pegged you for that type.''

''Jealous?'' the demon scoffed. ''I don't care about all your material goods, Kagamine...I just hated being compared to you. Len Kagamine this. Len Kagamine that. Always, always, it's about you, while I was scarcely noticed at all.'' His teeth gritted. ''Even my mother...she always preferred you over me! Her own son!''

''And so you killed my parents just to take revenge upon me,'' Len concluded bitterly. Rei smiled, a slightly demented smile.

''An eye for an eye, don't you think? I lost my parents to you. So why shouldn't you lose _your_ parents to me?'' he crooned.

Len rose from the chair he was reclining on, turning to face away from his cousin. ''You're insane,'' he spat.

''Better insane than depressed and confused, as you are now,'' came the retort. ''What star do you plan to shoot down now?''

''What star?'' Len repeated, unsure of what he was saying. His cousin's ramblings made little sense to him. ''What are you talking about?''

Rei's voice lowered to a whisper. ''The Seven Cardinal Demons, of course. Don't you want to do something about them? Of course, I wouldn't shoot down all seven...no, just one would do.''

''I have no idea what you're talking about,'' Len hissed, sure that the demon was just out to mess with his head. Why would Len want to kill any of the cardinal demons? They were bound to him - there was no point in destroying what could only be useful to him.

Rei laughed, an eerie laugh. ''Oh, of course. I forget. You don't know about your heritage, about why your soul is so conflicted, do you? Then again, a mere human wouldn't know...you have no idea how much knowledge you can gain just by being a demon, cousin.''

''Tell me what you want to say, straight and simple,'' Len's voice was weary, even to his own ears, and he straightened, forcing the momentary weakness out of his voice. ''Don't speak in riddles.''

''What do you want to know from me? I am nought but a captured demon, trapped and bound by your hands.'' There was a sing-song lilt to Rei's words, and Len scowled.

''You're even more insufferable as a demon, compared to when you were just a human,'' he prepared to leave the room.

''Wait,'' Rei called, and Len turned, expectant. The demon's golden eyes fixed on him, filled with suspicion and mirth. ''You're really curious about so many things, aren't you? Tell me, cousin,'' he breathed, ''what you want to know. What you have a burning desire to learn of. And perhaps I might break my dam of silence.''

''You're fond of your little secrets, aren't you?'' Len tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. ''No matter what I ask you, you'll find a way to twist the answer until it makes no sense.''

''I'm so glad that you know the way I work, Len,'' Rei smirked. ''And here I was, thinking you were an idiot who would provide me with hours of endless entertainment. I'm disappointed.''

''Is keeping a secret a sin?'' a new voice, quiet and thoughtful and contemplative, broke through the tense atmosphere, and Len whirled around to face the newcomer.

''Belphegor,'' his eyes widened in surprise. ''You're back? Where did you go?'' He wanted to go to her, make sure she was fine, but he didn't want to show any vulnerability in the presence of his demon cousin.

Her long green hair was twisted up into an elegant up-do, with silver dust sprinkled in her thick locks. Her lips were set in a firm line, unyielding, her hands placed on her slender hips. And Len felt a sudden, uncontrollable surge of desire, of _want _- even at this extremely inappropriate moment.

Damn his hormones.

''I had things to settle,'' her green eyes narrowed at the black-haired Defeat. ''It is, isn't it? But it's not _your _sin, Defeat...you're not Secrets. So maybe you should just tell Len about his heritage. I'm curious, too.''

''Why, what did you manage to find out?'' Rei sounded faintly curious now, and Belphegor shrugged. Rei continued. ''You must have learnt something from Uriel...oh, I see. The reason why the archangels were interfering, isn't it? And even after that, you still defend him?''

''I don't believe Len will do that, even after his death. Not if you tell him who his sister is.'' Miku tilted her head, her eyes filled with defiance. ''I found out from Remiel...I don't think you knew that Remiel had always been able to know what the sin Hope was thinking. You shouldn't have let down your guard.''

''I knew. Hope is connected, after all,'' Rei shrugged. ''I didn't find the information important or interesting enough to warrant me shielding my thoughts from Remiel.''

''What sister?'' Len broke in between Rei and Belphegor. ''I don't have a sister.'' His eyes flicked between the two demons, wary.

Rei smirked. ''Since you know, Sloth, why don't you tell him? Tell him everything, then - tell him about his sister's last name. He would better listen to you than to me.''

Belphegor turned to face him, her green eyes unreadable. ''Back when the world had just been created, you had a sister. Call for Lucifer, Len,'' her voice was soft. ''Ask her what her last name is.''


	26. Chapter 26

Len recoiled, his eyes narrowing at Belphegor. ''You want me to call your homicidal sister here,'' he felt his eyebrows twitch. ''The one who would love to tear my head off.''

''She won't do that,'' Belphegor huffed, the puff of air making her hair flutter. ''Trust me. Don't you trust me, Len?'' she smiled sweetly.

''Frankly, no,'' Len said with a straight face. ''But since you seem so sure, I'll do that. Anyway,'' he straightened, remembering something, ''she can't kill me unless I tell her to.''

''Sheer genius,'' Rei muttered from behind him. Len ignored his cousin's sarcasm-laden tone. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, lightly probing the mental connection between him and the seven cardinal demons. _Lucifer. Come to me. Now. I need to ask you something._

_What? I'm busy, _Lucifer's answer sounded reluctant. _Is it really that urgent?_

_Hm...yes, it is. _Len dropped the nice tone, his mental voice turning hostile. _If you don't obey me right now, I will kill your sister. She's back here - don't you want to say hello?_

In a flash, the blonde demoness appeared, her blue eyes narrowed icily at Len. ''You threaten my sister, and I will find a way to make you suffer for the rest of eternity,'' she said coldly. Her eyes then flicked away to search the room, and when her gaze settled on Belphegor, she gasped, a sound of relief.

''Where did you go?'' Lucifer rushed to her sister, who winced as she knew she had to get ready for the barrage of questions coming her way. ''What did Uriel do? I'm going to kill him...stupid archangel, thinking he can do whatever he wants...'' Lucifer's voice trailed off.

''I asked him to come for me,'' Belphegor mumbled. ''There were matters we needed to discuss.'' She met Lucifer's surprised gaze. ''I found out several things, and I really have to ask you...'' she stared at Len, who was looking coolly back at her. ''What was your sin?''

''Pride,'' Lucifer answered, sounding confused. ''You're Sloth, and I'm Pride, remember? What did Uriel _do _to you?'' Lucifer dragged Belphegor down so their faces were at the same level, and she peered into Belphegor's eyes worriedly. Belphegor shook her head, rising back up.

''No, sister,'' she said softly. ''The sin you committed at the dawn of time...the one that you yourself decided to fall for. The sin that we all fell for. What did you do?''

''I thought I already told all of you,'' Lucifer's frowned deepened. ''I fell because I was sure we would be able to do more good on the mortal surface, as compared to staying passive up in the heavens. Have you forgotten?''

''I didn't forget,'' Belphegor continued in that same quiet tone. The room was hushed, and even Len and Rei were quiet. It was like the air around them was waiting for something to happen - waiting for an outburst of some sort.

''I asked what was the sin you fell for, Lucifer. Don't lie to me. Or to Defeat,'' she inclined her head in Rei's direction.

The black-haired demon smirked. ''How nice of you, Belphegor, to acknowledge that someone in this room knows exactly what is going on,'' his honey eyes flicked over to Len. ''Which is more than I can say for that mortal there.''

''Shut up, Rei,'' Len growled back at the demon, who simply shook his head and continued smiling. Len's blue eyes never left Belphegor and Lucifer, and he was watching them intently, waiting for some astounding new revelation.

''Defeat?'' Lucifer's voice carried a tinge of nervousness. ''Did he say anything? You can't believe him, Belphegor. He says nothing but lies, someone who delights in sowing seeds of distrust and suspicion.''

''I didn't find out what you did from Defeat, Lucifer,'' Belphegor frowned. ''Though in an odd way, I did...I found out from Remiel, who was listening to Rei's thoughts. Defeat and Hope are connected, and Hope can occasionally hear what Defeat is thinking,'' Belphegor added, at the look of confusion on Lucifer's face.

''Remiel?'' Lucifer sighed, closing her eyes. She reached up to rub tiredly at her temples. ''And he doesn't lie, that's true...'' she turned to glare at Rei. ''Demon, how did you even find out about all this?'' she snapped. ''It's been a well-guarded secret for countless millennia.''

Rei shrugged, a remarkable feat since he was still bound tightly by ropes. ''You hear things, you know? Especially when you're a demon in the guise of a human. Some beings have loose tongues, especially those up in heaven.''

Len's eyes widened. His cousin had visited Heaven? His lips curled into a sneer - he was shocked that such damned evil was allowed into the realm of the divine. Hadn't Lucifer said that demons couldn't enter Heaven? Then again, Defeat could probably do whatever he liked, go wherever he wanted so long as he didn't openly defy spiritual laws. He was of a higher tier than most other demons, anyway.

''Which angel told you such a thing? I will flay him or her alive, for daring to speak of such untruths,'' Lucifer muttered, fingers clenching into fists. ''It does not befit an angel.''

Rei smirked. ''Why are you so worked-up, Lucifer? We might not even be thinking about the same thing!'' he sang, watching her intently to gauge her reaction.

Belphegor placed a hand on Lucifer's shoulder, even as her easily angered blonde sister started forward, clearly wanting to wrap her hands around Rei's neck. ''Lucifer, Len deserves to understand why he's so...special. Doesn't he?'' her green eyes met Lucifer's blue ones.

Lucifer paused, undecided. Slowly, she turned around to face Len, who up till now still didn't know what was going on. The other three were discussing matters he didn't know of, and being so clueless was frustrating him.

''Tell you?'' Lucifer murmured, sounding unsure. ''I don't know, Belphegor...if he knows, then there will be repercussions. You don't just go around divulging heavenly secrets to mortals, not even if they're directly involved in the whole affair. It's simply unheard of.''

''He's special,'' Belphegor said steadily, and Len glanced at the beautiful demoness, startled. The teal-haired vessel of Sloth was gazing at her sister, and she was asking Lucifer to tell him...whatever he was supposed to know. He wondered why she was suddenly being so...kind? Was that the word he should use?

''Special,'' Lucifer echoed, her blue eyes meeting Len's own ones. They were the exact same shade of blue as his own, he noticed - once again, he realised that he and Lucifer greatly resembled. He frowned. Why did they look so much like each other? ''Right. He's special. But does he deserve to know?''

''Just tell him already,'' Rei complained, sounding bored. ''You're just dragging out the suspense, you know,'' the black-haired Defeat groaned audibly. Belphegor glared at him.

''This is not a drama serial,'' she said sternly. Rei rolled his golden eyes at her.

''Whatever,'' he mumbled. ''It's interesting, and more than melodramatic enough to be one. Just tell him already. Get the whole thing over and done with.'' He fidgeted in his bindings.

''Fine,'' Lucifer said quietly, her gaze trapping Len's. ''I'm your sister, Len Kagamine. My last name is Kagamine as well. I suppose I should have recognised you, the moment I heard your name...but I had thought it was sheer coincidence that you shared my brother's name,'' she frowned, sighing.

Len flinched, drawing back. ''What are you talking about?'' he demanded. ''How can I be your brother? You've got the wrong guy,'' his eyes flickered uncomfortably between Belphegor and Lucifer. ''How can I possibly be related to a millennia-old demon?''

''I'm a demon,'' Rei piped up. Len whipped around to glare at his smirking cousin.

''You were born human,'' he said scathingly. ''And anyway, you aren't thousands of years old, not like Lucifer,'' he returned his suspicious gaze to her. ''How can I trust you?''

''Look at how much we resemble, and tell me that we are in no way related,'' Lucifer folded her arms, staring back at him. He shook his head, still unconvinced.

''Coincidence,'' he muttered. ''And anyway, I'm sure I'm not a demon. So how can I possibly be related to you?'' he smiled, satisfied. Lucifer couldn't possibly argue with that.

''You're not a demon,'' she agreed, surprising him. Her voice was serious, her expression intense. ''We're related, but you were my brother before the Fall. You died before the seven of us fell,'' she narrowed her eyes.

Len gaped at her. Dread began to claw its way up to his heart. Surely not. But was that why he had used to hate sinning? The reason why he had hated it until Uriel had pushed him into this inescapable chasm of sin?

''You were Len Kagamine, the unknown, unheard of Fifteenth Archangel of Heaven, who stood for Purity and Innocence,'' Lucifer proclaimed. ''And now you're Len Kagamine, an angel trapped in the body of a man.''


	27. Chapter 27

_An angel?_

''I am not an angel,'' Len spat, backing away. His hands went to his temples as he squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. Trying to deny everything. Because it _couldn't be true. _''I'm not an angel! It's not possible!''

''Elijah,'' Lucifer whispered. ''The Angel of Innocence.'' At her words, Len jerked, his mind recognising the name. No, not just his mind - his very soul cried out at the name. He recognised it, though he had never heard the name before. He backed away from the demon until he hit the wall, breathing heavily.

''This is not possible,'' he gritted out. Lucifer approached him, sadness in her blue eyes, and he hissed, edging away from her. ''Don't come near me! I won't fall for more lies,'' he seethed, trying to avoid the petite blonde.

''I am not lying, and you know it. Your _soul _knows it, Len Kagamine - I do not lie. You know that name. Elijah. It is your angel name. Mine was Seraphim - highest order of the angels. And you are Elijah. Innocence itself.''

''I can't be an angel...'' Len whispered, still shaking his head slowly. ''An angel wouldn't sin, would he? Angels are supposed to be pure. They're not supposed to...do what I did. They're not supposed to feel all this hatred.''

''Angels aren't perfect,'' Belphegor said just as softly. ''Angels have their flaws, too. Even the archangels do. Like how darkness doesn't necessarily mean evil, light does not always bring good. That's why they fall, isn't it...?''

Her eyes snapped to the side. ''Len, stop moving!'' But it was too late - Len had stepped onto the salt boundary that surrounded Defeat, effectively removing the barrier. Rei smirked, the ropes falling from him, cut and loose.

''Thank you, cousin,'' he purred silkily as Len stared back at the demon, horrified. ''I'll be sure to repay your kind act of setting me free,'' his smile turned into a scowl, then the demon disappeared, leaving behind nothing but torn ropes, lying sadly on the floor.

Len turned and yanked the door open, running out of the room. ''Stay inside! Don't follow me!'' he spat, slamming the door shut behind him. There were sounds of protest as the two demons pounded on the locked door with their fists, but Len shook his head and fled, down the corridor. Through it all, his head was spinning - he was so confused at everything.

Elijah...why did he know that name? How did he know that name? He wasn't an angel. No angel would sin up until this kind of degree. Not even Lucifer had, and the scriptures said that Lucifer had turned against God, falling to become the ruler of Hell. All that...was nothing but a lie.

Angels were supposed to be innately good, so how could an angel possibly sin enough to be entrapped in a contract between the seven cardinal demons? His hands shaking, he lifted them both to his face. One hand was still emblazoned with the spoked wheel, the covenant between him and the six cardinal demons. The six he had summoned to him.

His other hand, tattooed with that familiar green hourglass...the covenant between him and Belphegor. His eyes widened - the green sand in the top half of the hourglass was almost gone, trickling quickly to the bottom half. His life, his remaining time..._I'm going to die._

Where the sudden realisation came from, he didn't know, but a sudden sense told him that he wasn't going to live for much longer in the mortal world. He gritted his teeth - if he was going down, then he would bring the world along with him. He turned, going to walk to his office, at the other end of the passageway.

''Wounds bloom like crimson roses in hearts where hatred dwell...'' a soft voice whispered, and he glanced up. He froze, eyes widening - _Uriel and Remiel. Piko and Rinto. _He knew their true names, and their angel names - yes, he knew the Angel of Repentance. But Hope?

How did he know his name? Remiel looked like Lucifer. And so looked like him, too. Was he going to tell Len that he was related to him, too? Len began to laugh, semi-hysterically - well, they could all be one big happy family down in Hell, couldn't they?

''Hatred?'' Len retorted. ''I don't feel hatred, Uriel - I just want vengeance for everything the world has done to me. If I were an angel, then what did I ever do to deserve all this?'' he spat, stepping closer to the two archangels. ''If I were an angel, why would I sin so much?''

Remiel bowed his head. ''I don't know how Elijah was killed,'' he said softly. ''I only know Seraphim had a hand in his death - but I hear rumours. All the archangels do,'' he extended a hand out towards Uriel. ''And we can show you your memories, if you so wish. We can show you proof that you were once an archangel.''

Len hesitated. ''What proof do you have that those memories are not fabricated, that they are not a lie?'' he demanded. ''If I was Lucifer's brother, I was created before you two were, wasn't I? So where did this memory arise from? I'm tired of half-truths and evasions.''

Uriel smiled bitterly. ''She and you were both created first - but you were the first two _archangels. _Remiel and I, two of the other Seven...we were once no more than lowly angels. We already existed, during the time of your creation,'' he sighed. ''Seraphim and Elijah were the first two archangels created by the Divine Lord, but they were not the very first angels to have existed.''

Len hesitated still, wondering whether to believe their words. Finally, ''Show me, then,'' he said quietly, his eyes never leaving Uriel's dual-coloured ones. Remiel, the Archangel of Hope, stepped closer, so that they were side by side, then slowly he pressed his fingers to Len's forehead. Len closed his eyes.

_Two blondes, two archangels, the first of the Divine Lord's creations. Angels already existed - they were a new form of being, but they needed a ruling tier, a tier between the angels and the Divine Lord. The archangels, the pure and the blessed. A link between the mortals and the divine, the purest of the pure._

_Seven were meant to be created, one by one. Seraphim, whose name meant the highest order of the angels, was meant to be created alone. But through an accident, her brother was formed, the Archangel of Innocence, Elijah. The Divine Lord chose not to remove the mistake, but to allow Elijah to fulfil his duties as an archangel of Heaven._

_Seraphim was an archangel, and she knew better than to sin. But try as she might, she couldn't help but envy her brother...the archangel Elijah, who was preferred by the angels over her. She, Seraphim, was the highest order of angel, yet her brother was the favoured one, the one that was loved. All because he was Innocence. Elijah._

_Elijah. What was his name, his true name? Names had power. If Seraphim's name was Rin Kagamine, then what of Elijah? Since she was right, then he would be left - he was Len Kagamine. The Angel of Innocence._

''I know not how you died. Only Lucifer would have any idea how you, as an mighty archangel, perished. But it was only after your death that the remaining six archangels were created - Seraphim was the oldest of the seven, but you were the second oldest of the eight.''

Remiel and Uriel exchanged a glance. ''We, the remaining seven archangels, were brought up to archangel status after the last archangel, who is now Asmodeus, demon of Lust, was formed - the Fourteen Archangels of Heaven, although the number should have been Fifteen. One was missing, and then the seven fell...''

Len was reeling. The boy in the vision, the boy he had seen up in the heavens, standing next to his sister Seraphim...had been him. It had been unmistakeably him, but even so his mind recoiled at the idea. Him? An angel?

''But how can angels sin to such a degree?'' he repeated faintly, staring at Uriel. ''Even if there was a push...but aren't archangels supposed to be pure and incorruptible?''

''There's no such thing as incorruptible,'' came Uriel's quiet reply. ''Everyone will fall, at one point or another. Everyone will hate someone, will hate something. And the window that opens when hatred blooms allows sin to crawl in, to infect from outside until the insides rot.''

_If I was an angel...if my name really is Elijah, if I were the Archangel of Innocence, the Fifteenth Archangel of Heaven...and I was such a sinner? What right do I have to live?_

''But most of all, how did you die?'' asked Remiel, his voice soft. ''Only Lucifer can answer that question. No one else knows.''

Uriel and Remiel regarded him expectantly, and Len sighed. ''Lucifer! Come here. And bring Belphegor along with you,'' he added. He didn't want to leave Belphegor locked up and alone.

The blonde demon and her teal-haired sister appeared at once, eyes searching for him. ''Remiel? Uriel? What are you doing here?'' Belphegor uttered, looking confused.

''We heard...that you found Elijah?'' came Remiel's hesitant reply. ''Gabriel asked Uriel and I to see if it was true...and I see it is. We had thought it a coincidence that he resembled Elijah so - only Lucifer would know for sure.''

''Do you believe what I said now?'' Lucifer asked Len softly. Len glanced down, at the ground, frowning. Something in his mind threatened to surface - after seeing Remiel's memories, his own seemed to be clawing out of an abyss - memories of so long ago, they were part of both his mind and his soul.

''Remiel showed me the past,'' Len replied simply. ''If angels aren't as pure as what mortals have been led to believe...if angels were more selfish than we thought, then does that mean my sinning was something that should have happened? Was it all destined?''

_Do you hear the voiceless voice? Can you hear what are your own sins? A voiceless voice, that tells you to corrupt completely..._

''Perhaps. Perhaps not. Angels are not infallible. And you had external influence,'' Lucifer glanced at Uriel, who at least looked contrite. ''Left alone, your originally angelic nature should not have been tainted...but Uriel didn't know who you were at the time, I suppose.''

Len's frown deepened as a memory struggled its way out of its locked box, trying to be remembered. He could just grasp several wisps of it, with his fingers, and he tilted his head back. ''There's something...something about all this. Something I can almost remember,'' his voice trailed off, and the other four all stared at him, waiting for his next words.

His eyes met Belphegor's, and as his cerulean-blue eyes clashed with her forest-green gaze, something clicked, and he gasped, suddenly recalling everything. Something about her gaze attracted his memories, made him remember it all. Everything about his past life as an angel, what he had been - who he had once been.

In a forest, a forest in Heaven. A lush forest the exact same vivid green as Belphegor's eyes. Her eyes were the trigger, the emerald colour. The memory surfaced, enough for him to finally, truly believe that he was an angel, trapped in the body of a man.

He turned to Lucifer, eyes narrowed. ''If you're my sister, Lucifer...Seraphim...then why did you kill me, when we were alone in the Lord's sacred forest? What did I ever do wrong?''

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_**Solitaryloner: **So how did you guys find this chapter? This story is supposed to have a pretty unpredictable plot, and I hope it has enough twists to keep everyone satisfied for now. This isn't going to end that soon - there's still plenty of plot changes coming, so watch out for all those! You won't be disappointed!_

_And even after this one is finished, there will be a sequel, since this is actually my favourite story...it's just how I think, but in my opinion it's best to write for our own pleasure, right? And I enjoyed this story! I want to continue it, even after it's done! So...a sequel will be coming, and its name will be Broken Apocalypse. Look forward to that!_

_More details on Broken Apocalypse will be in the last chapter of this story (which is still a distance away). But I will be asking for my reader's opinions! One thing I'll tell everyone now though - the main character will be Rei, for the sequel! So don't hate him too much._

_Rei is actually one of my favourite characters...he's so twisted, but underneath it he's a really lonely person. He just wants to be noticed by his mum, Lenka. Everything he does is so he'll get noticed, so he won't always be passed over for Len. Rei needs more love._


	28. Chapter 28

Lucifer backed away, eyes widening as she shook her head. ''I didn't,'' she protested feebly, still shaking her head as she met Len's accusatory stare. ''I swear I didn't.''

''I remember...'' Len said softly, his eyes fixed on his sister's. Was she really his sister? He wasn't Elijah, not any more - nor was she Seraphim. She was the demon Lucifer, while he was the human Len Kagamine. An angel trapped within the shell of a weak mortal.

He hadn't understood how Belphegor had felt, being rendered weak and helpless - but now he did. Along with his memories, he had remembered his powers. He had recalled how to use his archangel abilities, had remembered what it was like to be powerful. What it had been like to be more than a mere human.

Now, he really felt like he was trapped in a cage. He gritted his teeth, returning his gaze to Lucifer, flexing his fingers slowly. ''I know that my memories aren't telling me a lie - Elijah's memories wouldn't lie to me, would they, Lucifer?'' the blonde demon flinched.

Belphegor, who was standing next to her sister, had her eyes opened wide in shock. ''Lucifer?'' she asked softly, lightly touching her sister's shoulder. ''Did you really kill Elijah...?''

Uriel and Remiel didn't say anything, and Len glanced back at them. The two archangels had disappeared, leaving the three of them alone - and Len was thankful for that. He wanted to know this for himself - he didn't want anyone else around. He wanted to know this alone.

But he didn't mind Belphegor being around. Len was a private person - when it came to serious issues such as this, such as his past life, he preferred that as few people were around as possible...but he didn't mind Miku being around. In fact, he wanted her to be around. He wanted to force her to choose. He wanted to be selfish - he was selfish. He wanted her to make a choice between him, Len, and Lucifer.

Would Miku pick him or her sister, Lucifer? Who would the little demon choose? Who held a greater place in her heart, the murderous sister she had known for millennia...or the trapped angel she had known for less than month, but had experienced attraction to like never before? Len knew she was attracted to him, but was that attraction enough for Belphegor?

''I killed you...'' Lucifer hesitated, and Belphegor flinched away from her sister, the look of shock still in place. Len wondered why Belphegor was so against the idea of cold murder - then again, they had all once been archangels. The idea of killing in cold blood, killing unnecessarily, was probably repugnant to her.

''I know you did,'' Len said quietly. ''It's the last thing that I could remember, from my life as an angel. You wielding that great sword of flame, our swords of judgement. You using that to stab me through my chest so that I burnt away to ashes...I had never known that our own swords could be used to kill ourselves, Lucifer. Rin.''

''I knew. I was the eldest, and I was told that...the swords we were given were used to strike down escaped demons, and to purify sinners. But they can also be used the same way as normal swords - they kill everything and anything. Even their own wielders.''

Belphegor blinked at her sister's words, then leant back against the wall, shivering. ''Lucifer...why didn't you ever tell any of us?'' she whispered. ''How much are you keeping from all of us, sister? How much do you value your pride? Do you place it above us?''

''No!'' Lucifer glanced at her sister. ''If I had told all of you, in the past, you might have done the same things as I did! I didn't want you to make the same mistakes...angels aren't infallible, and we're all exceptionally gullible when we're young,'' her gaze turned sad. ''Like I was.''

''What happened? What would happen to drive an angel to kill?'' Len fixed Lucifer with an intense stare, and Lucifer flinched again.

''The Serpent of the Forest,'' she whispered. ''A young angel is a gullible one - easily tricked, easily made a fool out of. The Faceless One, disguised as the Serpent, convinced me that I was better. That I ought to get rid of you, Elijah.'' Her gaze drifted away. ''I was Seraphim, the eldest archangel. Why should I put up with my mistake of a brother? With Elijah?''

''So you killed me just because the Faceless One told you to,'' Len said expressionlessly.

''I admit that it was easy to convince me,'' she looked shamefaced. ''I was already feeling bitter about being overlooked, about being constantly compared to you. And I was jealous that you were better loved than I was. All it took was one little push...''

''What was the Faceless One doing up in the Divine Lord's Sacred Forest, anyway?'' Belphegor looked faintly nauseous, and Lucifer shrugged, she herself looking rather unsure.

''Having fun? You know how he likes to stir up trouble for his own entertainment...'' Lucifer's eyes met Len's.''I lived with the guilt of killing you for years, until several centuries after Asmodeus's creation. No one knew about my crime...no one suspected that Seraphim would do anything harmful, expecially not towards her own brother.'' Len jerked, startled at those words - had Seraphim appeared to care for Elijah that much? He didn't know.

''That's when I could no longer bear the burden of the guilt. I decided I could no longer be one of the archangels - so I fell from the heavens. Convincing my other six siblings to fall, along with me.'' Lucifer finished, her eyes fluttering closed as she ended with a tired sigh.

''We fell because you told us you thought we could do more to help the mortals, if we lived on the surface world instead...so it was all a lie, then?'' Belphegor's eyes were wide. ''You keep lying to us, Lucifer...why did you lie so much?''

''I have my reasons, Belphegor,'' Lucifer said earnestly, grabbing her sister's hands. Belphegor shook Lucifer's hands off, eyes hardening. Lucifer blinked, shocked.

''I've never lied to you before,'' Belphegor said coolly. ''None of us have. You should have trusted us enough to tell us something so important - why didn't you? How am I supposed to trust you now, Lucifer?''

''So you choose the mortal over me? Your own sister? The one you've known for countless millennia?'' Lucifer hissed, eyes filled with disbelief. ''Why, Miku?''

''I'm not choosing anyone,'' Belphegor's cool exterior cracked a little, revealing the hurt underneath. 'I just...I just need some time to think. To accept and digest the fact that my sister, once the great archangel Seraphim, had committed the greatest of sins...the killing of an innocent,'' she swallowed. ''Because she did the same thing as Eve and fell prey to the Serpent...my sister?'' she asked softly.

''I'm sorry, Belphegor,'' Lucifer answered just as softly, casting a glance at Len. ''And Elijah. The truth is that. Simple and done, whether you choose to believe it or not...and I suppose you both need time. I should leave now. But I hope that nothing will change, Miku,'' Lucifer held onto Belphegor's wrists again, and this time Belphegor didn't pull away. ''I'm still the sister you knew so long ago. I haven't changed.''

Belphegor glanced away, her eyes filled with confusion. ''I know you haven't changed...but everything you had kept from us for so long...if Elijah hadn't be found, we would have been kept in the dark for even longer, right?''

''Perhaps,'' Lucifer admitted. She stepped away, looking downwards. ''I should leave you alone...'' she whispered, then before either Len or Belphegor could say anything, the blonde demon had disappeared. Neither of them could follow her, and Len didn't feel like calling his sister and murderer back, either.

Belphegor stared at him with her large, forest green eyes. He stared back, dazed, unsure of what he had just discovered. Too much was happening, all at one go. First, he discovered that his cousin was a demon. Then he realised he was related to Lucifer. He remembered that he had once been an angel...then he found out that his killer had been his own sister.

He did the first thing he could think of - he reached for the first source of comfort he could find. Slowly, hesitantly, he held out his arms, and like she understood his silent wish, his hopeful command, Belphegor walked forward, her arms wrapping tight around him.

He hugged her to him, burying his face in the crook of her neck. ''Comfort me,'' he murmured, his order more of a plea. She nodded, eyes closing, then reached up, her lips brushing softly against his. He sighed at her touch.

He didn't understand what was happening to him, why he suddenly felt so at peace, in her arms. She was nothing but a demon he lusted for, due to the carnal nature of their shared contract - but he felt comforted in her presence. Her touch made him feel weak.

''You'll make me happy, right?'' he asked, almost frightened of the answer. Her large, dreamy looking eyes met his, eyelids lowered sensuously - temptingly. Enticingly.

''If you want me to make you happy, then I shall grant your wish,'' she whispered, and the words he heard, the words she had spoken to him...

He didn't know why, but he already felt happy.


	29. Chapter 29

_Are you yourself without sins? How harsh will my punishment be?_

Len wondered how much time he had left. Glancing down at the hourglass-shaped covenant on his hand, the covenant which linked him and Belphegor together, he stared hard at the sand which was trickling into the lower half of the small hourglass.

There wasn't a lot of sand left, and Len sighed. So he was running out of time. He didn't know the rate at which the sand flowed, though it seemed rather fast, to him. Strangely, he wasn't too upset by the idea of dying - after finding out about his heritage, he felt strangely...betrayed. Belphegor had just told him, quietly, about the deal his parents had made with Hell itself.

So he, Len Kagamine, possessed a power greater than any mortal could comprehend. Upon his demise, if he so wished, he would be able to completely annihilate the Heaven and Hell realms. Staring down at his hands, though, he didn't feel that powerful. He felt useless.

Since it was a power that could arise only after his death, he was weak now. The remnants of his angelic powers, resonating through his lost memories, made him feel weak. He was an angel trapped in the body of a mortal man, and it made him feel pathetically useless.

He would have done anything to get that same sense of freedom and power, that he once had. The power of the heavens had once been at his fingertips, but it was now all lost to him. Simply because his sister had killed him. His fingers clenched into fists at the thought.

If he was the human Len Kagamine, he would have sat down somewhere to think. To begin plotting his revenge, to make his sister suffer as much as he had. But he wasn't just Len, anymore. He was also the angel Elijah, and those same memories were messing with his mentality. Making him feel reluctant to do anything involving harming another being.

Recalling his angelic nature and memories, but not possessing any of his powers, frustrated him. To think that he, Len Kagamine, had once been an archangel of the heavens. Now he was nothing but a mere mortal. Trapped, weak and helpless - just like Belphegor was.

A flutter of guilt went through him - initially, he hadn't understood her pain. But he did, now, and he knew that one of the worst feelings one could ever have was having your powers ripped forcefully away from you. Used to being an all-powerful being, a demon or an archangel, then forced to become something _lesser _than what you had once been. A powerless little mortal. Shaking his head, he rose from his bed.

He had to apologise to Belphegor. This new-found conscience prickled at him...or perhaps this conscience wasn't new at all. Perhaps it had always been there, hiding under the cold exterior. He had once been devout, after all. He couldn't remember what it was like, though. Being pious. All he remembered was thirsting for power, though he couldn't exactly recall how he had went about sinning.

He didn't know whether he should hate Uriel, or be grateful to him. If Uriel hadn't interfered in Len's life, Len wouldn't know all this. He would be like any other normal human. He wouldn't have sinned, catching the attention of the cardinal demons. And nothing would have led to what he knew now. But all this knowledge came with a price, of course - it would, definitely. In this world, everything came with a price, be it knowledge, goods or services.

Had Len already paid the price for finding out all this? Was the price his purity, his sanity, both things he had given to Uriel when he had corrupted him? Or was there more to come? He stared out of his window, wondering...if there was anything else left for him to find out. He wondered if there was anything left which could surprise him. He didn't think there would be.

A knock sounded at his door, and he jerked out of his reverie. ''Come in,'' his voice sounded weary, to his own ears. When had he started becoming so tired? He couldn't recall the last time he had felt fatigued, before this. He was Len Kagamine...he was supposed to be strong-willed and determined. Not so tired and weak-sounding. Not so exhausted. All the knowledge he was learning was changing him, and he didn't know whether he was changing for the better or for the worse.

The door opened, and Belphegor slid into his room, closing the door quietly behind her. Against his will, his heart quickened at the sight of the little teal haired demon, and he suppressed a scowl at his own reaction to her. Yes, perhaps a lot had changed for him - he remembered his angelic powers now, and he knew about things he never would have imagined, before. He was Len and Elijah, now.

But despite everything which had changed in his life, one thing remained - he could not fall for anyone. Especially not for a demon. Especially because, even though he was Elijah, he was still in the body of a man. And a human could never fall in love with a demon. The thought of that was supposed to repulse him.

It didn't, though. He craved Belphegor with the whole of his being. Even the angel in him wanted her - although Len was sure that Belphegor hadn't been around before Elijah's death. The angel residing within him wanted more of her beautiful eyes - the colour of the lush Sacred Forest, up in Heaven...

Belphegor reminded Elijah of the Lord's paradise. Her eyes were the green of the forest Elijah himself had been killed in, and that brought forward a surge of bitter-sweet memories through Elijah. Through Len. Blinking, he glanced away from Belphegor. ''Yes?''

''I thought I heard you call for me,'' Belphegor frowned, cocking her head. ''I assume I must have misheard...'' she sighed softly, turning to walk back out of the room. Len's eyes widened. He had wanted to be alone, but...

On impulse, his hand shot out, grabbing Belphegor's wrist, preventing her from walking any further away from him. She stiffened, turning around to stare at him, her lush emerald eyes gazing into his, and he wondered if he could see his reflection, in those large green orbs. What did she think of him?

Belphegor thought that she had heard him call out for her...no, Len hadn't called her name, not verbally. But his thoughts and his very soul had cried out for the little demon.

Had she heard those cries? And if she had...what did that mean? That she was meant to be something to him? Was it a sign that...it was okay for him to be close to her? Since she could hear his innermost thoughts, it meant that she was supposed to be special to him, right?

Belphegor's heart was racing as Len - no, Elijah - stared at her, his gaze inscrutable. He was an angel, an angel trapped in the body of a human. She was a demon, trapped in the body of a mortal. Did that make them similar? Or were they still angel and demon, two completely different beings? Two sides of the same coin?

She thought she had heard his voice, calling out for her in her mind. Though she was no longer a demon, and could no longer communicate telepathically, she had thought that it was better to check. Just in case Len had somehow managed to reach her mind, despite having had her powers frozen. Now, though, it appeared that she had embarrassingly misheard.

Yes, it was embarrassing. She didn't want Len to think that she had feelings for him. She didn't need him to think that she wanted to see him, and thus had made up a lousy excuse so that she wouldn't appear to seem so needy. Two humans could be together, but they weren't mortals, despite being trapped in mortal shells. She was a demon, while he was an angel.

_We can never be together, no matter what we wish. We're too different. Angels and demons are not supposed to have dealings with each other. I'm not supposed to fall for you, especially since you're an archangel._

His eyes flicked to the covenant on his hand. The green hourglass, the mark of her own covenant with him, was stark against the pale skin of his hand, and his eyes narrowed. She wondered what he was thinking of, with his intense gaze - he seemed to be struggling with some kind of decision. A sense of foreboding filled her.

_Please don't ask for your true wish. What is it that you wish for? I'll turn hopes, regrets, promises...into a magic that will forgive everything. Don't run away. Don't cry. Just please don't ask for what you truly desire._

''I apologise for the harm I've caused you,'' he finally said, seemingly unable to meet her gaze. ''After I recalled my identity...I remembered what it was like to be all-powerful. And compared to how helpless I am, in this pathetic shell of humanity...'' he sighed. ''I can understand how you felt about that, now.''

''It's okay,'' she glanced down, at the ground. She couldn't look at him - she wondered if he was going to wish for what he dearly desired. Her sin stirred in her mind, not wanting Elijah to leave - the sense of foreboding grew.

''I want to recall what it's like to be powerful. To be free, no longer encumbered by flesh,'' he whispered. ''Would you grant my wish, Belphegor? It's the one wish you can grant me, even if you were to be as powerless as a human. I want you, and only you, to fulfil my wish. No one else. Please.''

''What's your wish?'' she choked out, the words seeming to get stuck in her throat. It was as though her words were glass shards, and they scratched at her throat as they shuddered out of her mouth, ripping her flesh and leaving it raw and bleeding, hanging in bloody ribbons.

He looked up at her from beneath his long eyelashes, looking faintly morose. ''I don't want this human shell anymore. I'm running out of time, anyway,'' another glance at the hourglass. ''We both know it. There's no point in us deluding ourselves otherwise. We know...perfectly well...that my time left in the mortal realm is extremely limited.''

She stared at him, hoping that his wish wasn't what she thought. _Is this his true wish? Please don't wish for this...please wish for something selfish and materialistic. Wish for riches, power, gold - anything. Just not your true wish. I don't...I can't bring myself to grant you that. Maybe it's selfish. But...this wish..._

''So...what is it that you want from me?'' she whispered, her voice sounding hoarse to her own ears. He brought his other hand up, to her face, and he cupped her cheek, his cerulean eyes turning sadder than ever.

''You know what I want, Belphegor,'' he said in a soft whisper, as soft as her own. ''You know exactly what I want.'' There was a long pause, and Belphegor's heart beat rapidly as she waited for him to speak. Dreading his next words. She knew what he was going to say, and she hoped that he would prove her wrong. A hope that she knew to be doomed...a hope which left behind nothing but a sense of defeat. Hope was, after all, the deadliest sin...

When Len spoke his next words, she wondered if it was possible that hearts could break, because she felt a deep ache in her chest, one that would never fade, no matter what she wished for. Could demons have broken hearts? Could angels suffer the same, too? Was Elijah's heart breaking as Len said those words?

Was her heart even supposed to feel so bruised? She didn't love him. She wasn't supposed to. She had no feelings for this mortal - so how could she possibly feel this way, when he asked her to grant this wish? He was just another human, his life as easily ended as the rest of them. He wasn't...supposed to be different. He was nothing but a mere mortal. An angel trapped in the body of a human.

''Belphegor, I want you to take my soul.''


	30. Chapter 30

_**Solitaryloner: **__So...I'm still the only one on this site who wrote anything with Teiru Sukone inside...? (Other than Antonx9, his story is called 'A Royal Lie'. I like it. It's dedicated to me, how sweet!) That's just sad...Teiru deserves more love!_

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_Don't cry. Destroy this cage of captured delusions, and for just once, rise above your demise. The weight of your sins drag you down into Hell - do you fear your punishment? How harsh will your punishment be?_

''Do you know...what it means...to have your soul devoured?'' Belphegor whispered, staring blankly at him. His familiar arrogant smirk teased the edges of his lips, and he shrugged, running his fingers through his blonde hair.

''Maybe, more accurately, I wish to die,'' he stared down, once again, at the covenant on his hand. The sand was running out, and Belphegor knew what that meant - the time she had left bound to him, was very short. Which also meant...that he was about to die.

You couldn't change the wish of a dying man. She knew that his wish was true, that death was what he waited for. Every human had one true wish, one wish that they wanted granted above anything else - and this was Len Kagamine's wish. He wanted to die.

She had known, right from the very start, even before he himself had realised it, but she had refused to see it. She had refused to face the truth. She could guess why he wanted to die - he wanted power. And if, after death, he was granted the ability to destroy Heaven and Hell...well, he had no reason to continue living. Especially now he was sure that there was such a thing as an afterlife.

But if she were to take his soul...she would take away his very essence. That was why Uriel had wanted Len to fall to the clutches of the cardinal demons - powers were granted along with souls. Angels had powers only because of their souls, and without those souls they became empty vessels, completely powerless. The loss of a soul and dying were not the same thing.

Demons had no souls. In order to maintain their powers, they had to continuously absorb souls from humans, evil mortals who had sinned. Sometimes, the cries of evil souls affected them, twisting them - which was why lesser demons were not allowed out of Hell.

This was so that they would not be affected by a truly evil soul and go on a rampage. Keeping them confined to Hell, eternally starved of sustenance, weakened them and ensured that they would not create any trouble. Demons were susceptible to the cries of the souls they devoured, and those cries could influence their very behaviour. Only cardinal demons were considered strong willed enough to roam the surface world, taking sustenance.

She knew sometimes, even her siblings fell prey to twisted souls. There was once, Beelzebub had been gluttonous as usual and had absorbed too many wicked souls. Their cries had driven her mad, and she had wreaked havoc and chaos on the mortal surface until the rest of the cardinal seven ventured to the surface and restrained her. It had taken a while for all those souls in her to be used up.

Making a contract with a demon was dangerous, for both human and demon. For humans, it meant loss of their essence, while for demons it meant possible loss of their sanity. Still, it was the job of demons to collect the souls of sinners for sustenance - it was either do that, or risk losing their powers.

''Then why not just wish for death?'' she asked, nearly choking the words out. Len looked back up at her, his cerulean eyes carefully neutral. They looked hooded, though - and she could tell that he was going to hide something from her. He was always like that...sly and cunning. He never told the truth unless it benefited him.

''Do you want the morally correct answer, or no?'' he drawled, looking bored by the possible idea of his impending death. ''There are many reasons why I wish to die...and why I want my soul taken. Which reason do you want?''

''All of them,'' she murmured. He arched an eyebrow, then sighed, his lips tilting up into a small smile. He suddenly looked so tired.

''I know how humans are divided into three segments. The body, which is the vessel, the spirit, which is the mind, and the soul, which is the essence. I hate the conflict in me. My soul is that of an angel, of Elijah. He wants to do good, to repent. My spirit is that of a sinner, of Len Kagamine. He wants to sin, to corrupt. After I die, if you take my soul...'' his smile widened, ''then I'll be Len, freely. I won't be conflicted anymore. I'll be one self.''

''But you were Elijah, since the moment you had been born. You've been dealing with him for eighteen years. Why would you give up now?''

''Ever since his memories returned, the conflict has become worse. One side of me wants to do good, while the other side wants to do bad. I'm tired of the conflict, and I want it to stop.''

He sounded so honest, so truthful, but Belphegor had this nagging suspicion that he was keeping something from her. ''Your wish has nothing to do with your powers? Don't you want...the ability to destroy Heaven and Hell after your death? Or is it a moot point?''

''Now, why would I want to do that?'' he shrugged, glancing away. ''There's another reason...but not what you think,'' he added, glancing up at her from beneath his long, feathery eyelashes. She swallowed.

''And?'' she questioned. _Perhaps he's lying. I don't think he knows that, if his soul were to be taken, he would lose that ability. He would become powerless...the only way he can retain that ability after death is for him to enter Heaven, so that his soul and spirit remains intact. But that would be impossible._

There was no soul without spirit. The soul was the very essence of a human, yes, but without a spirit to make conscious decisions, a soul was useless and served as nothing more than sustenance for demons. She decided against telling Len that - she got the feeling that even if she did, he would still want to die anyway.

''After I die, my soul will be taken,'' he said matter-of-factly. ''That is the bargain I have made, after all. After death, my soul is to be given to the six other cardinal demons. Wishing for death is equivalent to putting my soul up for torture. But I want to spite them, so I want you to take it instead.'' His voice softened. ''You'll do me this one small favour, won't you?''

She wanted his soul, that was true. And if he wished for her to take his soul, then her siblings could not stop her - but still, she hesitated, unsure. She didn't want Len to die, but it was useless to dissuade someone bent on killing himself. At the very least, if she agreed to his wish, she could give him a painless death...which would be more than he deserved. Such a sinner would not pass Heaven's gates.

And if she took his soul...his spirit would be hers to punish, in Hell. She blinked at the thought. Then she would get to see him again, her traitorous mind whispered - she pushed the thought away. Sloth purred in her mind, liking the idea of punishing him. She quieted the sin as well...she wanted to make her own choice.

Len's blue eyes stared into her as she nibbled on her lower lip. She would have his soul and spirit after his death, and technically his body still, since it now belonged to her. So in other words...even after death, Len would still be hers? She glanced up at him. His expression was curious, wondering, and she looked away.

It was a selfish desire, a desire she couldn't help feeling. Because he was hers, and she wasn't going to give up what belonged to her. She didn't have any true feelings for this human - at least, she didn't think so - but nevertheless, he belonged to her. And she wasn't going to let go, not without some assurance that he would return to her...that he wasn't lost to her.

''If I grant your wish,'' she whispered, sliding closer to him. He didn't move, so they ended up right next to each other, gazing deep into each other's eyes intently, ''what will you give me? It is not in my contract that I have to grant your wishes. I simply have to keep you company.''

His eyes darkened as she twirled away from him. ''You've given your soul away,'' she turned to stare at him. ''You've given me your body, to bind me to you. True, I will obtain your soul after your death - but that is not part of our contract. Your soul is already marked by other demons, and the taste will be tainted. What other pure item will you offer, in its stead?''

She knew his soul would never be tainted - it would always be that delicious clash between dark and light, a soul intent on ripping itself into two. But she wanted more. She was selfish, and his soul, his mind, it wasn't enough. He needed to promise her all of himself - she didn't want to risk his spirit falling to the hands of her six siblings. She wanted all of Len.

If she couldn't keep her pet in the mortal world, she would do so after his death. Len smirked back at her, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his black pants.

''Are demons supposed to be that greedy, Belphegor?'' he questioned. ''The idea of having my soul and my body isn't enough for you? There is nothing more I can offer you, nothing more but my heart,'' he approached her as she stiffened, startled by the unexpected deal. ''That's all I have left. Riches? Knowledge? Things that are not enough for a demon,'' he whispered. ''But the love of an angel?''

''You are not a kind person. You do not know how to love,'' she spat at him, her heart palpitating. He arched an eyebrow, shrugging casually as he reached out, gripping her wrist.

''Or are you just frightened of accepting the deal? I think that humans and angels can love - can demons do the same? Are you simply frightened of making a deal you have no use for?'' he lifted her hand to his cheek, nuzzling against it. ''If I give you my heart, would you know what to do with it? Would you love it? Or would you not know what to do?''

''I can love,'' she withdrew her hand, glancing away. ''I just cannot love someone like you,'' she ended emptily, still refusing to meet his gaze. ''I have no use for love. I am a demon, and what I do is devour the souls of sinners and punish their spirits. I have no time for...foolish love.''

''Then there is nothing more I can offer you,'' his voice was cool. ''Alternatively, I can just call on one of your siblings to fulfil my wish. And my soul will be lost to you forever.''

She whirled around, eyes widening. ''No,'' she hissed. ''Your soul belongs to me. You, Len Kagamine, belong to me! Every single bit of you does,'' she seethed, and slowly his lips tilted into another smirk. ''Your body. Your soul. Your...your heart,'' she reluctantly said. ''I will not give you up, especially not to my siblings.''

''Then kill me,'' he whispered. ''Kill me. Set me free from this cage of flesh - let me know what it's like to be unencumbered by human weakness. Let me remember what it's like to be an incorporeal being...someone who can fly. Someone who isn't trapped in a cage.''

_I want to die. Kill me and be happy, _his cerulean eyes screamed. Though she knew that she would see him again, even after his death, Belphegor hesitated. Despite her brave words, she still didn't want him to die...

''I'll fulfil your wish,'' she heard her own voice tremble, and she tried to steady it. There was no need for her to show any sign of weakness. Stepping closer, she tilted her head, her lips parting, and he did as she indicated, leaning down to gently press his lips against hers.

The sin in the back of her mind, Sloth, roused from its dazed slumber, slipping past its boundaries into the body of the mortal. Sloth set to its work, slowly but surely drawing his soul out of his body, and Belphegor felt Len stiffen against her. A warm liquid trickled from the corner of her eye, and startled she let her fingers drift up to her cheek.

A tear. She was crying. Len's hand slid up to the back of her head comfortingly, his eyes closing, and Belphegor let the tears flow freely now. There was nothing to stop her - no jibes to make her feel embarrassed, no taunts to make her feel dumb. It was just her, and Len, and she was extracting his soul from his body.

Sloth finished its work and slid back through their joined mouths into her body. Instantly, she stepped away, wiping her mouth. Len stared back at her, suddenly looking rather lifeless - and she knew that his soul really was gone.

It was as delicious as she had dreamt - dark and light, a sinful spread she had long desired. But at the same time, she felt rather dull...because she didn't want him to die. She would give him back his soul, gladly, so he would continue to live. She wanted him alive.

Blinking, she shook her head. Those were not the thoughts of proper demons. She was not supposed to care whether or not he lived or died. In the long run, he was simply another human, even if he was an angel trapped in the body of a man, and he would die eventually. Whereas she, as a demon, would live forever.

''Now kill me,'' he whispered, voice already dead. She nodded. His soul invigorated her, returning her demon powers. She stretched, feeling power flicker through her body, and her sin luxuriated in the familiar feeling of strength. Strength that Len had provided her with.

Demons could only take souls from those embroiled in contracts with them, or those who wished for the demon to take their soul, like in Len's case. Otherwise, Belphegor would have snatched any random soul and escaped from here, a long time ago. She placed a hand on his chest, then glanced up at him.

''You're sure you want to do this?'' she asked tremulously. He still wasn't dead yet - there was a chance that he might change his mind. Though she knew that the chances of that occurring were slim. He nodded woodenly.

''I've already given up my soul. There isn't any point in living as an empty vessel,'' he concluded, voice still emotionless. She nodded at his words - they made sense.

She closed her eyes, willing the life she could sense under her fingertips to still and fade. His body complied to her wish, and she felt his heartbeat slow and die. Belphegor then reached out, catching the mortal as he collapsed.

He was dead, and she had been the one to kill him. She had taken his soul, and now he was nothing more than an empty shell, still and uncaring. Upon death, the spirit and soul separated from the body, and now all that was left in her arms was a lifeless corpse.

He was still warm, still unbearably handsome...he looked almost as though he was merely asleep. It was difficult to believe that he was truly dead. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she watched the dead boy, his face almost...peaceful. Sloth whimpered softly in the back of her mind, trying to comfort her.

''I'm okay,'' she said aloud, wiping her tears away, reassuring Sloth. Sloth huffed, not sounding very convinced, but she insisted that she was fine, and the sin relented. There was no point crying about this - people died all the time. She cast a glance down at him.

''I'm returning to Hell now,'' she told him softly, though she knew he could not hear. ''You better not forget your promise to me, Len Kagamine. You belong to me. Your body...your soul...your very own heart. Don't ever forget that.''


	31. Chapter 31

_**Solitaryloner: **I realised a couple of things. Like first of all, this story is ridiculously long. This is what, Chapter 31? And I still don't see the ending coming any time soon._

_Secondly, I realised I like weird pairings like TaitoXMiku and TeiruXMiku. Which no one writes about. It makes me sad._

_Thirdly, why is no one registering for my contest? It makes me feel unloved..._

_Oh yeah, a little update for all those who have seen my poll! Yes, I turned it into a blind poll, but for your information Miku is currently in the lead. Rin isn't too far behind. Hurry up and vote if you want Rin, instead of Miku, to be paired up with Rei!_

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_Where are you? Who are you? What are you supposed to be? As a sinner, you should be pulled down into the depths of Hell - but if you aren't here, then...what are you?_

''He's not here.'' The three words cut into her, because she knew that they were true. Lucifer swallowed and patted Belphegor's shoulder comfortingly. ''He has to be somewhere, though. You can look for him. Souls may be eaten, but spirits will live on forever. He won't just disappear, not like that. It's not possible.''

Beelzebub snorted. ''Good riddance,'' her voice was thick with sarcasm. ''I've never liked him. He was worth more trouble than we thought...and he even sneaked his way out of his deal with us, by not letting us devour his soul.''

Asmodeus shushed her. ''This isn't the time, Beelzebub,'' he said quietly, shooting Belphegor a look. Belphegor gritted her teeth and glared right back at them. She was so tired of all of her siblings talking behind her back. She wasn't deaf, and she could hear them perfectly well.

All six of them knew about everything which had just happened - from how Len was an angel, trapped in a mortal body, all the way to how Belphegor had just killed him. The only thing she had left out was how Lucifer had killed Elijah, and the reason Lucifer had fallen from Heaven. They all now also knew about how Rei Kagamine was the demon of Defeat.

''When I find Len,'' Belphegor snarled, rising from her bed, ''I am going to tear his spirit from limb to limb, and then I will cast him into the fiery pits of the lowest level of Hell.'' All of her siblings flinched - they weren't used to dear, sweet little Belphegor being such a sadist.

Spirits of sinners were supposed to automatically go to the Hell dimensions after the demise of their physical bodies. They didn't have a choice - the contract they had formed with their demons caused them to come here. Belphegor wondered if that was why Len had asked her to take his soul - he had broken the contract between him and her six siblings, so did that mean he could escape?

She had taken his soul, but that had been upon request, and doing so broke the original contract between him and the cardinal six. Did this mean...that he had somehow managed to evade his punishment? Her contract with him had nothing to do with souls, and since the original contract had been deemed obsolete...

If Len had really intended for that to happen, then he was smart, she granted him that. But he still wouldn't be able to make use of his powers, despite being untethered from Hell. He had no soul left - all he had left was spirit. And that wasn't the source of his otherworldly powers. He wouldn't be able to wreak any havoc or destruction, not in the mortal realm.

_You should go out and find him. Then when you've found him, wandering around in the mortal realm, bring him back here and make sure he suffers under your watch for the rest of eternity, _Sloth suggested seductively.

Belphegor rather liked the sound of that. Sinners were supposed to suffer. It didn't matter whether or not it was Len - he had sinned, and he wasn't supposed to be able to evade his rightful punishment.

_Or perhaps he really had no idea that this would happen. Maybe it wasn't in his intentions to escape from you. I'm sure that he never wanted to leave your side, no matter how he tried to convince himself otherwise._

Sloth snarled, and Belphegor squeezed her eyes shut, placing her fingers at her temples in frustration. Elijah's soul was in her, and for some reason the soul wasn't weakening, the way souls were supposed to when they were trapped in the bodies of demons. Demons used up souls for power, and by right Elijah should be weakening right now, as time passed by.

And as if Elijah himself wasn't bad enough..._Or maybe I really was that intelligent. Shut up, Elijah. You really think I'm as pure as you'd like? And Sloth. Shut the hell up. Your snarling is irritating me. Belphegor? I want you. Did I ever tell you that? No? Well, I'm telling you that now - I really want you. Len did, you know...even though he never said anything outright, not really. He was desperate._

Yes, Len himself was now residing in her body, along with Elijah. Technically, Elijah should be the only one in there, since Len's soul was that of the dead angel's - so why was Len himself here too? Maybe it was because Len was the reincarnation of Elijah, and so was a different person..thus part of his soul was different from Elijah's. That was just a theory though.

''The three of you, just keep quiet and leave me alone,'' she groaned, and her siblings stared at her. They looked a little worried.

''Maybe you should take a break,'' Lucifer suggested, Leviathian nodding in agreement. ''You're clearly tired, and Elijah...and Len,'' she added, noticing Belphegor's twitch, ''aren't helping your state much. We'll look for Len's spirit for you. And...maybe it'll be best if you find a way to keep Len's part of his soul quiet. He seems more irritating than Elijah is.''

_I love you too, Lucifer. _Len's voice in her head was filled with sarcasm. Belphegor had no idea how she managed to differentiate between Elijah and Len - since the two of them had the same voice. Maybe it was the differences in their tones, personality and slight nuances.

But really, what was Len doing here? She had thought that Len's soul was purely that of Elijah. So it was more than a little surprising to hear Len talking to her...and why wasn't Len's soul fading away? She still had her powers, which meant she should be using up his soul as nourishment, yet he sounded perfectly fine.

Belphegor lay down in bed at the insistence of her siblings, and irritably she closed her eyes. She yawned, suddenly unable to resist as Sloth roused itself. The sin demanded its sleep, with or without the presence of the two annoying voices, and she obeyed the sin's desire, letting herself fall into a deep, dreamless rest.

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''What do you want from me, my Lord?'' Black hair fell into his eyes, and irritably Rei brushed the hair away. He winced as the words ''my Lord'' slipped out of his mouth. How he hated showing deference to someone else...even if that someone was greater than him.

The man in front of him sighed, leaning back in his seat. ''You are Len Kagamine's cousin, no?'' he drawled, and Rei shrugged, nodding. ''Do you know that he has been killed? His soul now resides within Belphegor's body.''

Rei raised his eyebrows, surprised. His cousin was dead? That was news to him. He was sure that he had been alive just yesterday. ''Why, did he ask Belphegor to take his soul? If he did...he would no longer retain his abilities.''

''He merely wanted a loophole out of Hell. He couldn't have cared less about whether or not he could keep the ability. Though I'm sure he's rather surprised that he can't use his powers, even after death...apparently, Belphegor didn't explain to him how souls are the source of power. I pity the mortal about that.''

Rei smirked. ''So. My cousin is dead. Where's his spirit now? Did he really manage to escape Hell, just because he broke the soul contract between himself and the cardinal six?''

The man nodded. ''He's a smart one, that Len Kagamine...as smart as you are, maybe?'' the man mused. Again, Rei shrugged, feeling faintly amused. This man always brought Rei much entertainment - even if he did not know it. Then again, Rei hardly made his amusement obvious, most of the time. This man was, after all, still his superior in Hell. He had to obey him.

''So do you have anything to ask of me regarding my now deceased cousin, my Lord?'' Rei asked smoothly. The man glanced up at him, then he smirked, a knowing smirk.

''Find him and bring him here. I have a preposition for him...a little game which I want to play with him, if you will. I have all faith in your abilities, Rei Kagamine, and I'm sure you'll be able to find your cousin's spirit. Wherever it happens to be wandering, currently.''

''And why should I do that? I detest my cousin,'' Rei said blankly. The man's eyes narrowed at him, and Rei resisted the urge to back away. He was not weak either, and this man would do his best to remember that. Rei was not a weak lesser demon, crawling to him and licking the soles of his feet. He was strong as well.

''Simple. I tie you down to Hell forever. Remember that I let you roam freely only because I am kind. I can keep you chained here forever, if you so want it. Just like how I tether the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.''

Rei gritted his teeth. So this man knew his one weakness - he couldn't stand the thought of being permanently chained down to Hell. ''Very well. I'll seek my cousin out, my Lord. Consider the job done. I shall start searching now.''

The man leant back in his black swivel chair, and Rei was once again amused, thinking of all those shows he had watched before where some big boss leant into a swivel chair, petting a cat. This man gave off the exact same pampered aura as all of those bosses did.

''Yes, I know, highly entertaining,'' the man's droll voice cut into Rei's thoughts. Rei blinked - he had forgotten that this man could read his thoughts. ''Will you go and find Len Kagamine now? After all, the game I want to play with him...it won't be completed very quickly.''

Rei nodded, albeit a little sulkily, and disappeared from the man's room. How he hated carrying out this person's orders - but it was either do that, or be punished. Rei wasn't the strongest demon in Hell, and he still had to submit to those who wielded more power than he did. It was a sore point, but he had to do so. It was either that, or to face punishment.

And Rei didn't intend to be punished by the strongest demon in Hell. He had better things to do with his time than to be chained to this domain. He would miss his freedom, if that were to ever happen to him...

Rei hummed as he appeared on the mortal surface, his eyes sweeping the city landscape before him. He was near Len's main office and home - it would be a good place to start searching for the misguided spirit.

Now, where could his cousin possibly be...?

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Len was reclining, bored, in a tree. It was overlooking his cousin, who was sitting on a park bench, whistling to himself. Len wondered what Rei was doing here - hadn't he escaped from the mortal realm? Why was he still here? Rei didn't seem to be doing anything.

''Len.'' He blinked and sat up as Rei spoke, from below him. ''I know you're in that branch up there. You led me on a merry chase, you bastard. You were hiding in your room when I walked into your house, weren't you?''

Len shrugged, then leant back against the trunk of the tree. He wasn't surprised that Rei was looking for him, nor was he surprised that the demon could see and know where Len was. ''I was. Mainly because I was wondering what you were doing here. As you can probably tell, I am dead. So what more do you want with me?''

Rei's head snapped up, and golden eyes clashed with his blue ones. ''I'm here to lead you down back to Hell,'' Rei stated baldly, not bothering to mince his words. ''You're not supposed to be here right now. It's smart, how you figured out a way to worm out of the contract, but you can't evade punishment as a sinner. You know that, don't you?'' Rei's voice trailed off.

Len yawned and rolled his eyes. ''I thought of a way to escape the six cardinal demons. I died. So why do I still not have the ability to...destroy everything?'' he sounded frustrated, even to his own ears. Rei looked amused.

''Souls are the source of power, Len. You gave your soul up - of course you have no powers left. You're just a spirit now. Why else do you think demons, which are soulless creatures, need to ingest souls? It's to maintain their powers. I don't need to, though - I still haven't passed the average mortals' lifespan, so technically I'm still alive, with my own soul.''

He hadn't known that souls were the source of powers. Nothing in the books had ever mentioned that. Len narrowed his eyes. ''Belphegor didn't tell me that. I'm hurt deeply by her traitorous actions,'' he said dryly. ''But still. At least I'm free of Hell. Tell me why I should go there with you and suffer, cousin.''

Rei chuckled. ''Well, for one thing, I'm not bringing you back for torture. The Faceless One, the demon Overlord of Hell, has a preposition for you. Don't you like the idea of that?''

Len felt rather suspicious. This was his cousin - there was a very high possibility that Rei was just lying to get Len into...trouble. But Len was already dead, and Rei didn't appear to be too hostile, as of the moment. ''Convince me that you're telling me the truth.''

Rei shrugged. ''I have no reason to lie to a dead man,'' his golden eyes met his, his gaze relaxed and open. He didn't look like he was hiding anything, for once, and Len cocked his head.

He allowed curiosity to get the better of him. ''Lead the way down then, Rei. Let's see what the Faceless One would want with a mere mortal like me, shall we?''


	32. Chapter 32

_**Solitaryloner: **__Does anyone disagree with me when I say that Len here is extremely hot and sexy? So is Rei. Right? Because if there's any disagreements, I can make them sexier still. The problem, however, is that everyone will get nosebleeds, so maybe not._

_Whenever I write a chapter of this, I listen to a sexy Len song. Nope, not Spice! - though of course Len is hot there. Listen to Darkness Six by Len. Mujitsu is a pretty sexy Len song too. Both by AvTechNO!. He's awesome._

_And I also like Len's part in Luka's song, Free. Again by AvTechNO!. Len sounds good there. Not as sexy as the other two songs, but not bad either. I love Darkness Six and Mujitsu._

_Following Awesome Gurl's suggestion (I hope I got your name right sweetie, it's an anonymous reviewer, and I'm typing this without internet connection so I can't check), I'm going to state who's in the lead for the poll! Currently...still Miku. Keep voting! Of course, I can't say that ReiXMiku isn't hot too._

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After Len had reluctantly come down from the tree branch, Rei had somehow managed to grab Len's arm, even though Len was most definitely incorporeal. Then all of a sudden, Len was no longer in the mortal world - instead, he was in a dark cavern. In Hell, then?

As his eyes adjusted to the abrupt change in light intensity, he noticed that Rei's golden eyes had changed to an eerie blood red. ''Why the sudden change in eye colour?''

Rei shrugged. ''I just used my demon powers. I'm relatively new to this, so I don't really know how to conceal the change yet. Every time demons use their powers, their eyes automatically change colour...it'll fade later.''

Len arched an eyebrow. ''The cardinal demons don't seem to have that problem,'' he pointed out coolly. Rei just smiled, looking serene.

''Well, they're older than me, after all,'' he said, voice calm and unruffled. ''They know how to conceal the change since they've had such a long time to get used to channelling and controlling their powers. I'll get to that stage eventually. I'm stronger than they are, in the end.''

''Are you two done talking?'' a low, guttural voice spat out, and instantly Len and Rei turned to face the front. There was a swirling mass of black mist there, right in front of their faces, and the new, unfamiliar voice appeared to be issuing from the cloud. ''Because I've been waiting for you for quite some time, and my patience is greatly thinning.''

Len assumed that this was the Faceless One, since he...had no face. It was just a cloud of black smoke. He tried to maintain a straight face, since he had no idea what kind of personality the Faceless One had. Honestly, though? Black smoke? Could he really do no better? Len was very impressed...not.

Rei, on the other hand, had no such qualms, and he burst out laughing. ''Really? Black mist? That's such a cliché,'' he gasped out, clutching at his sides as he tried hard to not choke on his words. ''I thought that time you tried to out-smoke the demon of Disease was bad enough...this takes hilarity up a whole new notch.''

The black mist seemed to swirl irritably. ''Know your place, brat,'' the voice said curtly, this time in a slightly higher pitched voice. ''You ruined my grand entrance. I was supposed to be scaring the mortal. It's not working. Happy now?''

Rei smirked. ''Happy indeed, my Lord,'' he said cheerfully. ''Perhaps you should return to your human form now, you're terrifying my cousin Len over there,'' there was a sing-song lilt to Rei's words, and Len choked back a splutter.

The mist swirled some more, then solidified into the figure of a man. He had silver hair, tied up into a small ponytail, and crimson eyes, which were currently narrowed suspiciously at Len. For some reason, Len was reminded of himself. Perhaps it was the ponytail.

The silver haired man took out a pipe, which was made out of what seemed to be human finger bones, and took a drag. Boredly, he exhaled, the cloud of smoke forming a skull before him. ''Welcome to Dell, Len,'' the man proclaimed. ''Enjoy your stay here. Whatever.''

Len frowned. ''Dell? Isn't this...Hell?'' he asked, slightly confused. He heard Rei snigger behind him, and he did his best to ignore his highly irritating cousin. The man before him sighed. Well, at least Len wasn't the only person who found his cousin's antics annoying.

''I'm the Overlord of this place. My name - other than the Faceless One, Great Overlord of Hell, He Who Must Not Be Named, blah blah blah, is Dell, Dell Honne. And since there's only one letter difference from Hell...I'd rather call my realm Dell. It sounds better, don't you think?''

Len felt his lips twitch. ''Yes, sir. It sounds very good. I agree with you most wholeheartedly.'' Behind him, Rei was cackling, and he knew that his black haired cousin was probably rolling around on the floor, shaking with laughter.

Len wasn't surprised. It was Rei, after all. And Rei was the kind of person who simply didn't see the seriousness of any situation, most of the time. Maybe this was Rei's master plan. He wanted to let the Overlord of Hell kill Len through his sheer, overwhelming lameness. If it was possible for spirits to die again, of course. Was it possible? It might be.

Len bowed low in order to conceal the smile which had curved his lips. If that was indeed Rei's master plan, then for once, it actually seemed to be working. Choking back his laughter was killing him - in the figurative sense, of course. Unlike Rei, he was wary of offending the great Overlord of Hell, since he had no powers with which to strike back, should the Overlord choose to attack him.

''May I ask what Sir asks of me?'' he asked politely, struggling to keep the laughter out of his voice. Rei finally calmed down a little, throwing himself backwards into a swivel chair behind a desk in the cavern. Dell turned to scowl at the demon of Defeat, who arched his eyebrows and waved his hand at Dell, telling him to continue whatever he wanted to say.

Len had to admit that Rei's lack of respect for the Overlord was rather entertaining. Dell just sighed, another long-suffering sigh. ''You lose all respect for me once there are visitors around. Why, Rei? You hurt my feelings.''

''Because I don't see why I should respect you,'' Rei rolled his eyes, placing his chin on the top of his fist. ''Before I left Hell to look for Len, I made a detour and had a chat with the Four Horsemen about you. Know what they said?''

Len saw Dell twitch. ''What did they say? Those little traitors,'' he muttered underneath his breath. ''They're not supposed to be talking to anyone! They're my minions, after all.''

''Apparently, you'd never bind me down to Hell. You let me loose on the mortal realm not because you're kind - rather, because you think that I'm good entertainment value.'' Rei rolled his golden eyes once more, this time in disdain - the red had faded from his eyes a few minutes ago. ''And since you're using me only to amuse yourself, I see no point in respecting you.''

''Rei, I will bind you to Dell - I mean, Hell, one of these days, if you continue disrespecting me this way,'' a muscle ticked in Dell's jaw. Rei simply yawned and closed his eyes, dozing lightly. Dell sighed, for what appeared to be the third time in two minutes, and turned back to Len, who was still trying to choke back his laughter. Quickly, Len assumed a poker face.

''I have a little game I want to play with you,'' Dell said seriously, this time in a far less playful tone than the one he had been using earlier. At this sentence, Rei's golden eyes snapped open once again, and he sat up, this time following the conversation with an intent look in his eyes. Len cocked his head, staring at Dell.

''A game? What game? And what do I get when I win?'' Len asked immediately. Len was not the type of person to do something without some kind of reward. Dell arched an eyebrow.

''When, Len? Are you really so confident that you can win?'' Dell purred. ''But no matter. I shall allow that to slide. A trial. Three trials, to be more specific. And if you should best me in even one of them, then I will let you live again. Along with the ability to destroy the two spiritual realms. Do you like the sound of that?''

''Let me live again?'' Len smirked. ''How? I have no soul, nor do I have a physical vessel. Where am I going to get these two things, in order to live once more? Steal them from Hell?''

''Dell,'' Dell corrected. ''Well, I was going to do that, actually. But then I decided that I wanted to retire, so if you can best me then I'll give you all my godly powers and all that. So yes, you'll take my place as the Overlord of Hell - and naturally, you'll get a body back, and as for a soul...well, you could always just command Belphegor to return your soul, I suppose.''

Rei, who was sipping on some drink which had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere, spewed all of his drink out. The brown liquid narrowly missed Dell, and Dell turned around to glare at the black haired boy. Rei was staring at the Overlord. ''You cannot be serious.''

''I am serious,'' Dell said, irritation a thick layer in his voice. ''Why do you always assume that I'm joking, when it comes to these kind of things? I've been telling you for a very long time, I want to retire. But you never took me seriously. Now look what you've done.''

''What have I done?'' Rei sounded affronted as he put his feet up on Dell's desk. ''And anyway, where are you retiring to? Where do...gods go to, after they give up their post and powers?''

''You spilled some of my prize coffee all over the place and dirtied my cavern floor,'' Dell said dryly. ''I never did give you permission to drink my coffee, you know.'' Dell took another drag from his pipe, then blew the smoke out in Rei's direction. Rei coughed and spluttered, waving the smoke away. ''As for where I go, it's top secret. It's somewhere in the mortal world, though. Just giving you a clue.''

''The coffee was right there, obviously I'd take a drink. Listening to you talk was making me thirsty. There was no need to blow smoke in my face, you old cranky pants. And I bet your hideout is in Hawaii. I'm right, aren't I?''

''What? How did you know - I mean, no. Of course not. Don't be silly. Do I look like someone who enjoys the sunshine that Hawaii provides?'' Dell scoffed. ''And what with the whole volcano goddess thing they have going on? No. Just no. You're way off the mark.''

Rei rolled his eyes in disbelief. ''Sure. I'm convinced,'' he drawled, raking a hand through his messy black hair. His golden eyes met Len's. The two cousins disagreed on many things, but one thing they would most definitely have the same opinion about was how...odd Dell was.

''Anyway, what are the three trials that I have to go through, in order to become the new Overlord of Hell?'' Len spoke up, drawing all attention back to himself. Frankly, he was getting rather tired of always being ignored by the other two. Just because they were demons and he was a mere spirit? That was...racism.

''Oh. Simple.'' Dell cracked his knuckles, and Len tilted his head, wondering what the challenges could possibly be. The atmosphere in the cavern was suddenly extremely tense, and Len and Rei both appeared to be holding their breaths, waiting for Dell to say something.

The pause was long and drawn out, until Len felt that he was going to go mad from the tension. ''What are the three challenges I must best you in?'' he repeated impatiently.

Dell sighed. He seemed to sigh a lot. ''All right, all right. No need to get your panties up in a twist. I was pausing for dramatic effect -''

''Dell wears girl underwear,'' Rei suddenly spoke up, spinning around in the swivel chair. Both Dell and Len stared at the black haired boy, Dell in shock, Len simply in amusement.

''I do not wear girl underwear,'' Dell said stiffly, and Rei smirked, holding his head as he clutched the edge of the desk to stop spinning.

''Okay, then tell me why I caught you in your room holding a pair of pink lacy underwear. Either you're being a pervert, or you have a fetish for women's underwear, Dell.''

Dell's face paled. ''I will talk to you about this later,'' he said stiffly, whirling back around and ignoring the semi-hysterical Rei as he fell back into the swivel chair, laughing like a madman.

Len struggled to stay calm. ''So. For the third time. What are the challenges?'' He was getting rather tired of asking this question, and actually he had half a mind to just leave.

''Three's the number,'' Dell shrugged. ''Simple.'' He paused to think. Len wondered how difficult these challenges would be, such that Dell had to think for such a long time. And, though he hated to admit it, he was starting to worry a little.

''Okay, I've decided!'' Dell announced, startling both Rei and Len. They straightened to listen to the Overlord, and Dell's red eyes gleamed with wicked intent as he leant closer to Len.

''First, you have to beat me in a coffee drinking competition. Secondly, you have to out-smoke me when it comes to...smoking. And third, we can have a...'' Dell frowned.

''Dancing competition,'' Rei piped up, his lips twitching. Len glared at his cousin, as Rei knew perfectly well that Len couldn't dance - but Dell clapped and agreed with Rei's suggestion.

''Anyway, there's no way you can out-drink or out-smoke Dell. You can't stand coffee. If I recall, you only like banana milkshakes and sweet things. And you don't smoke. So let's just go straight to the dancing, shall we?'' Rei continued with a straight face. Len just glared all the more at his cousin.

''That's not fair!'' Len folded his arms, looking up at the ceiling. ''There's supposed to be three competitions - and now, it's been narrowed down to one,'' he muttered. Rei snorted.

''Fine, fine. Let's give Len a chance,'' Dell sighed again, for what must have been the millionth time. ''We can start with the dance, though.''

Rei clapped his hands. ''That's great. Hey, demon of Oblivion! Do you mind popping over here for a second?'' Rei shouted. There was a brief moment of silence, then a blonde suddenly popped into the room. He had yellow eyes which occasionally flickered to violet, and there was a frown on his otherwise flawless face.

''What do you want, Defeat?'' Oblivion was tapping away at a phone, his eyes never leaving the screen. Rei rolled his eyes again and sighed, as Len and Dell looked on, rather bemused.

Reaching over, Rei grabbed the phone, and the demon let out a yelp. ''Get over it, Akita,'' Rei fiddled with the phone for a while, then held it up towards Dell and Len, camera side facing them. There was an evil smirk on his face.

''Okay, start the dancing then! I'll gladly be the judge! You'll stay around, won't you, Akita? We're going to watch the Faceless One dance - do you know how rare that opportunity is?''

The blonde demon gaped at Dell and Len, blinking in astonishment. Then a smirk similar to Rei's crossed his lips, and he leant against the desk, watching the mortal and the Overlord of Hell get ready to dance.

''Well, what are you waiting for?'' Rei said impatiently, still holding on to the phone, which Len knew was probably recording the whole thing. ''Get going! Time's a-wasting.''

This was going to be even more embarrassing than losing to Rei during a verbal war.

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_**Solitaryloner: **__I love cracked up Dell. Epic Dell is epic. People usually see him as grumpy and all due to caffeine - but when people overdose on caffeine, this might be what happens to them too. And it's hilarious._

_Dell is here mainly for entertainment purposes. Actually, this whole chapter is for entertainment value. Dell isn't joking about giving up his powers and retiring, though. I have no idea how he came up with those three ideas for a challenge, either._

_The blonde demon is Nero Akita, who is used because of his character item (the phone). Messaging on your phone is under Oblivion, because when you keep using your phone, you're oblivious to the world around you. Oblivious = Oblivion._

_Oh, and as for the many names that Dell is referred to - how many of you guys caught the Harry Potter reference? XD_


	33. Chapter 33

_**Solitaryloner: **Look! It's Chapter 33! I'm updating so fast because I have more reviews. And when I have reviews, I can update a whole lot faster! Isn't that fantastic? So review._

_Okay, this is for tacypoc: Yes, technically. But after they die, spirit, soul and body are three different entities. The body is dead. Soul and spirit separate and are no longer dependent on each other. That's why the souls can think even when inside of Belphegor, though normally they can't think without spirit._

_Len's spirit can therefore have emotions, even without his soul. But if his spirit is put into another body, he'll be dependent on soul again and he'll become emotionless without it. I hope that clarifies things for most people too. I didn't put this in the story as I didn't feel that it was particularly important._

_For juzinha89: I know! This chapter is totally OOC compared to the rest of the story! I wrote it late last night during a caffeine high. From here on, other than the dancing, it'll be serious. And unfortunately, no, Len has to dance. That's the challenge._

_But thanks for all the reviews! I can't believe I got 9 overnight. I love you all, keep supporting me and this story! (Please)_

_Yes, for the poll, Miku is still in the lead. Wow. And here I was...thinking that everyone wanted Miku to stick with Len...but Rei is hot. I love Rei. He's so...lovable. And sexy._

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''What songs do you have in your phone?'' Rei was busy destroying Oblivion's phone as he looked on, horrified. ''Oh...this looks good.''

_I like to move it move it...you like to move it move it...I like to move it move it..._

Len winced. He was not going to dance to that. No way in Hell - uh, Dell. ''Isn't that the theme song from Madagascar?'' Sighing, he ran his fingers through his blonde hair. ''Look, just give me something I can dance to without it being too embarrassing. And then we can get this over and done with. This is ridiculous.''

Oblivion snatched his phone back from Rei. ''Okay, how about this one?'' The theme song stopped, and suddenly Party Rock Anthem began to play. Len groaned. Wasn't that worse?

''I can't shuffle,'' Dell said blandly, from behind Len. Rei and Oblivion both arched an eyebrow, then turned to stare at Len suspiciously.

''I think I've seen Len shuffle before,'' Rei mused. ''Back when we were...eight? Or something like that. We had that dancing competition which you lost to me in, since you can't dance. Then again, your opponent this time is Dell, who's a dork,'' Rei ignored the Overlord's splutter, ''so since Len can shuffle whereas Dell cannot, I suppose that means Len wins!''

Len blinked. That was it? Well...that was easy. He hadn't even needed to move. And he wondered why Rei had allowed him to win, since Rei disliked him so much - then again, if he were in Rei's position, he would pick Rei over Dell as well. Any time. Anyone would be better than the Overlord of Hell...who was a dork.

Oblivion looked disappointed. ''I thought that there would be an entertaining show...talk about crushed hopes and dreams,'' he muttered, disappearing along with his phone. The faint strains of Party Rock Anthem faded away. Rei just leant back into the swivel chair and continued watching the both of them.

Dell shrugged, looking perfectly fine with his loss, and he walked over to Len. ''I did say that if you could best me in one single challenge, I'll give you my title and powers. To tell the truth, even if you had lost, I would have given them to you anyway - I know that you are cunning and sharp. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have to be the ruler of Dell - I mean, Hell. And no, Rei - I'm not giving the post to you.''

Len returned his curious gaze. ''But if I become the Overlord of Hell...what would be my duties? And I don't know how to control any demonic powers. I wonder...why do you even want to retire anyway? I mean, isn't all this power enjoyable?'' Len stared at the Overlord. From the swivel chair, Rei glared at Dell.

''Rei can teach you,'' Dell inclined his head towards the black haired Defeat, who spluttered. ''I'll teach you one trick later, after I confer my powers onto you,'' Dell leant in to whisper in Len's ear, so that Rei couldn't hear him, ''I'll teach you how to bind Rei to Hell so that he will have no choice but to obey you. That way, you can force him to tutor you.''

Len smirked. Tying his cousin down and forcing him to obey his orders? He turned to shoot Rei a look - and Rei stared right back, looking a little worried. ''Then...how about your retirement? Why do you want to retire?'' His eyes narrowed. ''Is there something about this job that makes you want to retire? Something you're not telling me?'' Suspicion was better than blind trust.

Dell sighed. ''I'm old. I've been the Overlord of Hell since...the very moment Hell was created. And I'm getting rather tired of always having to rule over Hell, and having to intimidate people when half the time, I can't even do a very good job. You can ask Rei how people react when I try to intimidate them,'' he looked around.

''People laugh and fall over. Dell kills them through laughter,'' Rei drawled, his lips twitching. ''I think that even Len could do a better job...though I am still against the idea of giving him the title of Overlord of Hell. Why don't you just give the title to me?''

Dell ignored the last comment. ''So I just want to lie back and enjoy the world. Ruling can get boring after...countless millennia, you know? I don't even know for how long I have ruled this domain. The responsibilities you have to shoulder are huge. The burden...is not a light one to carry. Do you wish to take up my post and powers? You don't have to. I don't want to have to force you into doing this - but I still think you're a better option than Rei.''

Len hesitated. He did want a body back. He wanted to live again...especially since drifting around as a spirit wasn't quite as exciting as he had thought. Yes, he was incorporeal, but he was still powerless - and that made it even more frustrating than when he had been mortal. He had thought that he would be powerful after death - but Belphegor had conveniently left out the part about how souls were the source of all powers.

He was soulless, and that meant that he was powerless. Without a soul, he had no powers to speak of. The whole point of him wishing to die to begin with was to feel powerful - and that was, apparently, not happening. If him taking up the post of the Faceless One would give him powers...then he didn't see why not.

But the responsibilities of the post. Len didn't want to be tied down to this realm. Still...he wanted to return to life, and since Dell was willing to give up his powers, then why not? ''You'll give me all of your powers? Honestly?'' Len asked suspiciously. It sounded too good, too simple to be true. And what sounded too good to be true was usually not true.

''Well, the title Overlord of Hell gives you the necessary demon powers. And authority to do whatever you want. Which is useful, because I get to keep my own basic demon powers like teleportation. The title comes along with its own set of powers...including the basics. I'll lose that special set when I give the title to you, but at least I keep my own natural demonic strengths and everything.''

''I see,'' Len smirked. ''Then turn me into the new Overlord of Hell, then. I have nothing more to do anyway. Being an aimless spirit is rather boring, and...I'd like to have a body back.''

Dell nodded. ''Very well. And let it be known that, Hell, I didn't force you into this,'' he muttered, once again making Len feel rather suspicious. What had he got himself into? Was he supposed to have been forced into it? What were the downsides to being the Faceless One? Well, other than having to keep an eye on this realm and all of the numerous demons here.

Dell's red eyes closed, and then lightly he reached out, pressing his fingers to Len's forehead. And suddenly, Len let out a harsh scream, because the rush of pain which slammed into him at that moment was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

The pain started out at his forehead, at where Dell was touching, and then radiated down to the rest of his body. Len wanted to writhe and thrash around on the cavern floor, but he couldn't - he was rooted in place, unable to move away from Dell's fingers. The pain - the pain of millions, billions of screaming, tortured souls. Streaming into him from Dell's fingers into his mind - the screams of sinners.

That was the pain, this mental torture, this anguish. Len wanted to curl up and rock back and forth, clutching his head as more and more voices poured in, clamouring for relief. For release from their Hell prison. Was there a limit to how much his head could take, before it exploded? Because he was dying. The pain was killing him, the pain of so many sinners.

This was Hell. Hell was pain. He was pain, so he was Hell. His eyes were wide open, and he couldn't close them. He watched as Dell gritted his teeth, yanking his fingers away from his forehead - and suddenly, Len could move again. Instantly he collapsed, the anguished scream resounding through the cavern as he clutched at his blonde hair, trying to block out the voices he could hear in his head. Voices...voices...

Their pain. He could feel their pain, their anguish, their regret, and that hurt worse than any physical pain possibly could. Yes, beneath the pain there was a rush of power - he could feel new strength burning its way through his body - but the pain. The pain overtook everything, and he couldn't feel anything else.

''You have to get used to it. The sounds of millions of damned souls, screaming and shrieking for release from Hell. It takes a while to get used to, and I'm sorry that I didn't warn you earlier,'' Len could hear Dell faintly, through the cacophony of noise. ''The Overlord is Hell himself. These spirits are in Hell - and you can hear them. Wanting release. Vengeance.''

''Why...won't leave me...alone,'' Len gasped out, feeling his eyes burning. He wondered if it was because they had turned red. ''Shut...the hell up...just like Uriel...'' his eyes widened. Like Uriel. He had practice ignoring voices. Uriel had been, after all, nothing more than an annoying voice in his head. A voice he learnt to ignore.

Could he possibly do the same with these? It was worth a shot. Len dove through the new mess that was his own mind, his hands clapping over his ears as he tried to block out the noise. And, like what he usually did to ignore Uriel, he dove into an unoccupied corner of his mind, shutting the door and locking everything out.

Instantly, the voices quietened to a mere background hum, and the faint screams he could hear in his mind were slightly more bearable. He smiled, then returned his attention to the physical world - the world outside of his mind. The world outside of spiritual Hell.

Dell whistled, looking impressed. He still looked the same, from his silver hair all the way to his crimson eyes. ''That's good,'' he nodded. ''It took me longer to learn to shut out the shrieks. A century, I think. It took you five minutes. I knew that picking you as successor was the right choice...someone who's already used to hearing unwelcome voices in his own mind.''

Footsteps, and then Len noticed woozily that Rei was crouching over him. He realised that he was still lying flat on the cavern ground, his hands covering his ears, and slowly he sat up, raking a hand through his blonde hair.

''Your eyes are red,'' Rei commented, cocking his head. ''I guess that means you're a demon now. How does it feel like, being all-powerful?''

''I don't know. I can't feel,'' now that the pain had subsided, Len realised that it was true. He looked down at himself, and without surprise he saw that he now had physical flesh - flesh and skin which covered his spirit. But he still couldn't feel - because his soul was missing. ''I need my soul back,'' he said expressionlessly.

''Call for Belphegor, then. The same way you called for the seven cardinal demons, when you were in a contract with them. She will respond - she has no choice. The word of the Faceless One is law, down here in Hell...or Dell.'' Dell shrugged, regarding Len curiously.

Len did as Dell said, calling out for the demon. And as soon as he finished commanding her here, he shut off the mental connection between them, so she couldn't recognise who was the one calling out for her. He didn't want her to know he was here - at least, not yet.

Len couldn't feel, not without his soul. But one thing he knew was that Belphegor was going to be very unhappy that he had managed to avoid punishment. Especially after he had promised himself to her. She wouldn't like it at all.

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Belphegor heard a voice in her mind summoning her, deep in her slumber. She groaned and stirred, wanting to return to sleep, but for some reason she felt compelled to obey. She didn't recognise the call, since it had been too brief for her to identify its voice - but she had this strange sense of foreboding.

''The Faceless One?'' she wondered aloud, opening her eyes and yawning as she sat up in bed. Tiredly, she stretched her stiff body. None of her siblings were around to force her to return to sleep, so she was thankful for that. The voice possessed a ring of power that she had never heard any demon have before.

Glancing around, she made sure that none of her siblings were coming in to check on her. No one appeared to be entering her room any time soon, so she exhaled. For some reason, she got the feeling that she was to find this voice by herself. She wasn't supposed to bring anyone else along with her. She just _knew._

Following the source of the voice, she concentrated, sending herself directly to where she had heard it coming from. And she suddenly found herself in another cavern, a large one that she had never seen before. She glanced around, taking everything in. Yes, she was probably still in Hell - she didn't notice herself moving out of the Hell dimension.

Then her gaze drifted to the people in the room, and her eyes widened in shock. A silver haired man with red eyes - the Faceless One? She had never seen the Faceless One before, so she couldn't be sure. That wasn't what had surprised her, though. For one thing, what was Rei Kagamine, demon of Defeat, doing here?

Her gaze settled on the third and final occupant of the cavern, and suddenly she felt faint, stumbling backwards, her back hitting the wall. No. This wasn't possible. How could this be? Blonde hair and cerulean eyes, calm and emotionless. Len Kagamine. In the flesh.

Not in spirit form, but with an actual, live breathing body. How did this happen? Her gaze flicked suspiciously between the three of them, but unwillingly her eyes were drawn back to Len Kagamine. The human who shouldn't be here - the human who was supposed to be dead. Who should be nothing more than a mere spirit now. Why...did he smell of demon?

''You're supposed to be dead.''

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_**Solitaryloner: **Okay, what Dell means that the title comes infused with demonic powers. Dell was already a demon with powers before he became the Overlord of Hell - he was the first ever demon in existence. The title just added on to his powers._

_Now that he gave his title away, he lost those additional powers which came along with his title, but he keeps his original old powers. The basic demon stuff. So he's still a demon, he's just not the Faceless One anymore._

_Review? Reviews are love. Make me feel loved!_


	34. Chapter 34

_**Solitaryloner: **Wow. 9 reviews again! Wow. I feel loved! If I could, I would hug every single one of my reviewers. Thanks for the support, everyone, even those silent readers!_

_So, as a special treat, I shall upload yet another chapter today! I'm indulging all of you, aren't I? If I get more reviews, I might even update faster than I currently do. Wouldn't that be great? So review please! I like reviews. They're like energy bars which help me update!_

_Poll: Yes, Miku is still ahead. Rin is catching up though. The gap is closing! To be more accurate, Miku has 20 votes, including votes in reviews. Rin has 17, and no one has voted for Rin in the reviews. I hope this makes more people more willing to vote!_

_I have half a mind to just write an OC for myself and make it ReiXOC. But I won't, because I don't exactly like using OCs. The only story I use OCs in is Romeo and Cinderella. And probably in Better Late Than Never._

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''There's no such thing as dead,'' Rei interjected, smirking at Belphegor knowingly. ''Even after the death of the physical body, the spirit lives on...souls are ingested by demons, and spirits split off, the two things becoming completely different entities. You know that, don't you?''

Belphegor narrowed her eyes at the black haired demon. ''I wasn't talking to you, Rei,'' she pointed out, assuming a hostile front so that the demon wouldn't be able to tell how nervous she was. The fact that Len Kagamine had found a way to return to life...had managed to regain a physical body...she had never come across anything like that before. And not knowing how he did it unnerved her. This wasn't possible.

Everyone and everything feared the dark, the unknown. Demons were no exception. What Belphegor did not understand scared her, even if she did not wish to admit to that fear. She didn't understand how Len had somehow managed to come back to life, and not knowing made her feel...frightened, almost.

And why did he smell of demon? He was no demon. He was an angel. An angel trapped in the body of a man, wasn't he? His soul was in her right now, both sides of it whispering in her mind - Elijah and Len. Both sides were conflicting, one pure and one tainted. The two sides were struggling with each other, and it was giving her an headache. ''Len?''

''Belphegor...Miku,'' he inclined his head, his cerulean eyes still calm and emotionless. And he wouldn't feel anything, since he was still soulless. ''You're surprised to see me with a physical body, aren't you? Then again, I suppose anyone else would be surprised as well...''

''How?'' she exhaled, her eyes darting to the silver haired man, who had yet to say a word. His red eyes glimmered with curiosity as he looked between her and Len. No, she realised - he couldn't be the Faceless One. He didn't have that same ring of power as the voice which had summoned her had. He just...didn't give the feeling that he was the Overlord of Hell.

So who exactly was he, and where was the Faceless One, then? Len said her name once again, catching her attention, and reluctantly she glanced back at him. His lips were tilted up into a smile - a smile which looked natural, despite how he shouldn't be able to feel.

He had no soul, so he couldn't have emotions. Souls were needed for feelings, to experience the world around them. Without souls, there was no meaning to life, and there was no point to existing. Since he couldn't feel happiness, the smile was a fake one - and she wondered, how long had he been faking his smiles for?

''I'd like my soul back,'' he stated, clearly and simply. She stared back at him, incredulous, then began to shake her head. He was the one who had asked her to take his soul, and now he wanted her to give it up? What right did he have to ask for that? His soul was hers now, delicious and delightfully tainted - there was no way she was going to give it up without a struggle. And she suspected that Len knew that as well.

His smile turned a little eerie. Threatening, even. ''You don't have a choice, Belphegor.'' He turned around to glance at the silver haired man, and that unknown man waved Len forward, that same curiosity still evident in his expression. Rei just remained silent and watched, his expression unreadable, and wearing a smirk, Len approached her.

He was good at faking his smiles. He reached her, and she found that she couldn't move, both of her feet rooted to the floor - much like the first time she had ever met him. She hadn't been able to move then, either. Miku had to wonder whether it was him, whether he had some kind of strange power over her, or whether she was just affected so much by his presence she couldn't react to his nearness. Couldn't force herself to move away from him.

Perhaps it was simply a combination of both. Her body didn't want to move away, and he just had some kind of strange, unexplainable hold over her. His fingers reached out, the cool skin sliding down against her cheek, and then he leant closer, his familiar winter cold breath brushing against her face. ''Did you miss me?'' his whisper was soft and sensuous. She flinched at the coldness of his breath, wanting to squirm away. But she just couldn't do that.

''I didn't,'' was all she said in response. It was true. She hadn't missed him, she was sure. She just hated that Len Kagamine had somehow managed to find a way to escape Hell, to escape punishment - to escape her. His knowing smirk widened, and then he let his lips brush against her cheek. She shivered at the feeling of his warm lips, running against her skin.

''Liar,'' he hissed, his fingers reaching up to thread through her hair. ''You're such a pretty little liar, it makes my heart bleed.'' His blue eyes were still as glacial as ever - even more so, since his face was emotionless. His words, his tone - they were seductive, but it didn't match the blankness of his expression.

''What I ask of you, you cannot refuse,'' he continued, cocking his head. ''You've been wondering, haven't you? Why I smelled like a demon, even though when I died I was nothing but a mere mortal?'' his voice was a croon.

Her eyes widened. _How did he know...? _She stared back into his cerulean eyes, the blue of the summer sky. They were still icy cold, like twin frozen lakes. ''What are you?'' she whispered. She was sure about one thing - he was no mere mortal. Not anymore. Demon? But then...what demon was he? A feeling of foreboding crawled its way up her body, making her stomach feel faintly queasy.

He had never been a mere mortal. From the very start, he had been an angel, trapped in the weak body of a human. After death, he had been the only spirit who had managed to escape the taloned clutches of Hell. And he was the only spirit she had ever encountered who had managed to re-enter a body after death.

And the body was his own. But how could this possibly be? Some of the staff in his main office branch had found Len Kagamine's dead body, where she had left it in his bed, and they had arranged for a funeral and burial, to mourn his passing. The whole process had been completed a few days ago, and now Len's corpse was lying still and silent in the cold ground.

So how was it possible that he had found, and managed to reclaim, his own body? By now, his old body should have started decomposing in the damp warmth of the grave dirt, the flesh of the cadaver turning grey and cold...

His lips suddenly, unexpectedly covered hers, shocking her. He nipped playfully at her lips, then bit gently on her lower lip and tugged. She gasped, surprised, and instantly his tongue slid in, forcing her to keep her lips parted. Her eyelids fluttered as she began to feel a little ill, something cold sliding its way into her body...something which went all the way up to her mind and started to pull at it, gently.

Sloth cried out, warning her, and she realised with horror that whatever that...cold thing was, it was trying to tug Len's soul away from her. Her sin tried to maintain its grip on the clashing, purely corrupted soul, but then the other thing hissed at the sin, telling it to relinquish its hold. Sloth flinched away, feeling nervous, and Belphegor felt faint as the soul was removed from her body, out from her parted lips.

Was this how Len had felt like after she had taken his soul? This sudden feeling of emptiness, of coldness...and it wasn't even her soul. She had no soul to speak of. That soul, the strong soul which had been nourishing her all this while, had been stolen from her - and she was suddenly hit by a gnawing hunger. A hunger for souls to devour, to eat. She had to eat something, and soon.

Len pulled away from her, letting her slump down against the wall. His cerulean eyes were closed as she stared up at him, panting and clutching tightly at her stomach. She felt so empty. So hungry. And rather faint.

His eyes snapped open, and she could already see the difference having his soul back made. Those blue eyes were filled with a knowing intent which hadn't been present in them, earlier. She swallowed, throat dry - this feeling of fear, of reverence...why did she feel it?

Who was he now? Why was he so strong? She had no idea what had just happened to her - what had been that thing which had stolen Len's soul away from her, returning it to him? And why had her sin obeyed it when it told Sloth to step away? As though Len was more powerful than her. But what could he possibly be?

He crouched down, his face near hers, his cool breath washing over her face once again, raising goosebumps on her skin. She flinched away, but then his fingers caught her chin, and her face was tilted up so that she had no choice but to meet his gaze. His breath carried the scent of mint, fresh and crisp.

''What am I?'' Len breathed. ''I'm greater than you, that's what you have to know,'' his hand cupped her cheek. ''That man over there...the silver haired one? He's called Dell Honne, and he was once the Faceless One. He had once been the most powerful being in Hell.''

Belphegor frowned at his words. ''Once? Then what is he now?'' Her eyes flicked to behind Len, and she watched the silver haired man curiously. Dell Honne. He was currently having...what seemed to be a rather heated argument with Rei, and both Dell and Rei weren't paying her and Len any attention.

''Just a demon,'' Len shrugged. ''A normal demon, I suppose. Like one of the lesser demons of Hell. He gave up his title of Overlord of Hell, you see. He wanted to retire and live a relaxed, peaceful life...so there you have it.''

A feeling of dread was clawing its way up to her heart, and she felt her breath catch. From what he was saying, from everything which had happened just now, between them...and the fact that he was now more powerful than her...''What are you? Who are you?'' she whispered, almost not wanting to know the answer. She knew, but she didn't want to believe it. She wanted him to say it himself.

Len leant close to her ear, his voice fading into a barely audible murmur. His words made her freeze as she tried hard to lie to herself - as she tried to tell herself that what she had just heard was all a lie. Why? Why was this happening? How could he possibly be so powerful now? In what way did Len Kagamine deserve all this power? He was a sinner. Someone who ought to be punished, not rewarded with more power.

''Me, Miku? I'm Len Kagamine. Once Elijah, the Angel of Innocence - and now, the Overlord of Hell,'' he smirked at her. ''And the lord and master you have no choice but to obey. Doesn't this feel just like old times, Belphegor?''

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_**Solitaryloner: **Len's attitude now that he's all powerful and everything is...but never mind that. He's still drop dead gorgeous._

_Poor Belphegor. I feel sorry for her. Review and cheer her up, please?_


	35. Chapter 35

He took her hand, tugging her back up so that she leant, woozily, against the wall. Her teeth gritted - the hunger she was feeling...it was horrible. Len had stolen his soul away from her, and now she was feeling ravenous. That arrogant little bastard. Did he think that she would submit to him, just because he was now more powerful than she was?

Well, Len should know better than that. He should know her _much better _than that. Even when she had been trapped as a human, in his home, she had loathed submitting to him. Even if he was the Faceless One now, nothing would change. Her lips curved into a grim smile - Len would regret flaunting his authority around like that. She would force him to be sorry.

He stared at her, his cerulean eyes softening just a little. A tiny bit. ''Are you feeling okay?'' he cocked his head, that messy blonde hair coming loose around his face, little wisps and strands curling over his pale skin. ''If you're hungry, then...I can share a little,'' he smirked. ''If you really want some,'' he added quickly.

What did he mean? She stared at him, confused, and Len blinked back at her, slow realisation crossing his features as he noticed her confusion. He turned around to glare at Dell, who simply looked back, looking as confused as Miku felt. ''Why are you glaring at me?''

''How come she doesn't know about your little stash of souls, which you hid in the drawer of your desk? You know, that little emergency stash which you had originally hid away for yourself and the seven cardinal demons, just in case they ever got too hungry to work?''

Dell gaped at him, and Rei stared between Len and the silver haired demon, who ran his fingers through his thick hair, looking awkward. ''How did you know about that?'' Dell shot back, and Len snorted. Miku, like Rei, was watching the two of them, faint amusement taking the place of near overwhelming starvation. Distractions were good. She needed more distractions...so she would stop thinking about this stubborn, irritating hunger for a while.

''I'm the Faceless One now, so I can...sort of hear what you're thinking? Since you're one of the demons of Hell, still?'' Len sighed. ''Stop playing dumb, Dell. How come she doesn't know about it? Weren't you going to share?''

''Well...I wanted to share my stash with them at first...but then demons don't believe in sharing, you know, and that would have totally ruined my scary image and reputation -''

''Not that you had much of a reputation to ruin, to begin with,'' Rei muttered with a smirk on his face, cutting across the demon's words. Dell glared at Rei and resumed speaking, apparently having decided not to retort verbally.

''So I decided not to share the stash. Anyway, the cardinal demons never went hungry before. The other six usually brought back souls and let Belphegor eat them because she was left in Hell so much. You should just return her the soul you had taken from her,'' Dell ended, snorting.

Len sighed. ''I'm not giving up my soul again,'' he muttered. Glancing at Belphegor, who stared back at him with hunger written all over her face, he walked over to the desk and opened the said drawer. Inside was a crystal flask, and within the clear flask, black mist swirled - black, the colour of tainted, corrupted souls.

Dell's little stash. The souls he had set aside as emergency food were all the souls of sinners, naturally. Len picked up the flask, regarding the swirling mass inside with a critical eye. Abruptly, he was reminded of the mist disguise Dell had worn, when Len had first entered Hell - and he wondered whether Dell had drawn inspiration for the whole black mist thing from this swirling mass of corrupted souls. For one thing, the two clouds of darkness resembled.

''Question, Dell,'' Len turned around, still holding up the flask containing Dell's snacks. He wondered whether the souls of his parents were in this flask. Could he retrieve them if they were? It had been so long since he had last seen his parents...his parents were the main reason why he had wanted to conquer the Hell realm, when he had been a human.

''First of all, where did you get so many souls to keep aside, to begin with? Shouldn't you have eaten all the souls you were owed before? Not that you even get out, all that much. I don't hear of you making contracts, most of the time. Which makes me wonder how you get nourishment to maintain your powers...but that aside, where did all these souls come from?''

Dell shrugged. ''Well, I stole them from the cardinal demons. It was simple. You see, the cardinal demons have this little stash too, for Belphegor. In case she gets hungry when they're not around. And Belphegor's always asleep, so it was an simple enough task to sneak into their domain and...steal some souls. And hope that they don't really notice.''

Belphegor gaped at him. ''I was wondering why our stash kept lessening, even though I never touched it,'' she said wonderingly. ''I never knew the Faceless One was such a despicable little thief. You could have asked for it, you know. We would have given you some, since you're our Lord and we wouldn't have any choice but to fulfil your demand, anyway.''

''Don't call me despicable. All of those delicious souls were just sitting there, wasting away, and you weren't even eating them! They fulfilled their jobs as nourishment within my satisfied stomach,'' Dell yawned. ''Anyway, stealing is more fun than actually demanding for it.''

Len rolled his eyes in disdain. Dell was such a fool. And a dork. ''Okay. Then where are the souls of my parents? They died and came to Hell since they made a deal with you, right?'' he inquired, feeling almost unbearably eager.

Dell's red eyes narrowed as he thought. ''Oh. Your parents,'' he said, less than enthusiastically. ''Sorry. I already ate and used them up. They gave me indigestion, if that makes you feel any better,'' he added helpfully. Len stared at him, just blinking in shock.

Then he hissed at the silver haired demon, stalking back over to Belphegor. Holding out the flask, he commanded, ''Finish off all of them.''

''With pleasure,'' Belphegor grinned with relish. Taking hold of the flask, she uncorked it, then place the flask to her lips, gulping down the contents. As the souls slid down her throat, she began to feel more...filled up, and contented she sighed, devouring all of the souls and corking the flask once again. Dell let out a cry.

''My souls! All gone! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to accumulate so many?'' Dell complained indignantly. Belphegor patted her belly, then returned the flask to Len.

''No one cares, Dell,'' she sighed. Her green eyes narrowed at the former Overlord of Hell. ''I have another question for you, though,'' she glanced at Len, who was staring intently into the empty crystal flask as he moped over the loss of his parents' souls. ''Why did you tell Seraphim to kill Elijah, back after the creation of the first two archangels? What were your intentions?''

That captured Len's attention, and he stiffened, looking away from the flask. He had forgotten all about that, and now he looked between Belphegor and Dell, wondering how Dell would respond. Indeed, why would someone as weird as Dell was want to tempt Lucifer into killing her very own twin brother?

Dell cocked his head, looking rather confused. ''Tempt Seraphim...?'' he echoed. Then his red eyes brightened, and he let out a sigh of realisation. ''Oh. That. It was all so far back in the past...several millennia, if I recall correctly?'' Dell tapped on his bottom lip. Len and Belphegor shot him blank looks, and he shook his head, continuing his words.

''You want the truth? I was bored of Hell, so I went to explore Heaven. And I found Seraphim grouching in the forest. All I did was sit there and agree with her about everything she said - simply put, I just agreed with her that Elijah's cheerfulness was annoying, and that she should seriously do something to pull the attention back to herself. I didn't tell her to go and kill her kid brother. She totally misinterpreted my words. I had nothing to do with it.''

Belphegor and Len gaped at Dell, who shrugged, convinced that his explanation was more than enough to cover their question. Len felt strangely disappointed - he had expected Dell to have some kind of agenda, for telling Lucifer to kill him. Now, it appeared that the whole thing had been due to nothing more than a simple miscommunication.

Talk about a total let-down. Len realised that, when it came to expecting grandiose plans of world domination, it was best not to rely on Dell for such remarkable ambition. Dell was the kind of person who did things because he was bored - he didn't care about whether or not it advantaged him. So long as it amused him, then it was enough for him. The former Faceless One reminded Len of a child, in that way.

He realised that, for some strange reason, Rei wasn't making any of his usual annoying comments. Surprised, he looked around for the black haired demon, then realised, a little too late, that the demon had already disappeared.

''Where's Rei?'' he asked, and instantly Dell whirled around, looking for the demon too. He was nowhere to be seen, which was odd as Dell had been arguing with him mere moments ago. Dell suspected that he knew why Rei had fled from Hell, and gravely he shook his head.

''Rei doesn't want to have to obey you,'' he offered as an explanation to Len. ''I bound Rei down to Hell the previous time, but I allowed him to roam free in the mortal realm. He had to respond to my call when necessary, but otherwise he was free to do as he pleased. Now that ownership of Hell has been transferred to you, he's free of his chains.''

''What?'' Len hissed, getting frustrated. Belphegor saw this, and with a smirk she let her fingers brush against his shoulder, an act which both infuriated and comforted Len. ''Then how the Hell am I supposed to bind him to me now? He can just run away whenever he wants! It'll take forever to find him, now.''

''Don't worry,'' Dell drawled, running his fingers through his hair. ''Rei believes that it is necessary for there to be physical contact in order for the Faceless One to bind him to Hell - but that's not the case. You can bind him to you anywhere, any time, since he's a demon. And all demons are connected to the Faceless One.''

''Really?'' Slowly, Len's lips curved into a smirk. ''So I can bind him to me, even now? If I want to?'' he asked, almost eagerly. He would love to have Rei under his beck and call. It would be the perfect revenge to inflict upon Rei - he would force Rei to do humiliating things, and laugh as his dear cousin had no choice but to obey.

''Sure. After I teach you how. We can practice on Belphegor...?'' Dell offered. ''I can teach you how to bind any demon you want to yourself, so that they're your unwilling servants. Since I obviously don't want that to happen to me, then we could always use Belphegor as practice.''

Belphegor backed away slightly as Len turned to stare at her, a familiar look of desire in his eyes. She was used to that lustful look, and it never boded well. Especially not for her sanity. ''I did not agree to this,'' she protested.

In a flash, he had her pinned to the wall, a smirk gracing his lips. Slowly, he trailed his lips across her cheek. ''You never had a choice,'' he murmured. ''But do you mind, really?''

She glared at him, but somehow she knew that deep down, she didn't really mind being bound to him. After all, she couldn't deny that being connected to Len Kagamine was...interesting. The contract they had sealed when he had been a mortal had provided her with a great deal with entertainment. Fun which she longed for.

''Fine. So long as you don't sexually harass me again, I suppose that's fine.'' She huffed at him. Then catching him by surprise, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him hungrily, each of them warring for dominance and want. She had missed his taste, and now she wanted it. She wanted everything about him - because he was hers. He had promised himself to her.

From the way he reacted, she thought that he wouldn't mind being bound to her either. The two of them continued like that for a while, wrapped tight in each other's embrace - until a faintly uncomfortable voice broke through the passionate haze surrounding them.

''Um, if you two want to suck face, can you not do it in front of me please? Because I'd like to keep my perfect eyesight, you know.''

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Rei smirked. He had escaped from Hell, slinking out while everyone had been distracted by that stupid matter of Dell's hidden stash of souls.

He would be careful not to draw attention, and he would always move, always shift so as to avoid being caught by Len. There was no way Rei was staying around and allowing Len to bind him to himself, like some kind of pet dog.

He was safe, wasn't he? There was no way Len could reach him now...still, Rei couldn't help feeling this strange sense of foreboding.

Why did he feel like he was going to be in a whole lot of trouble...? Sighing, he pushed the feeling away. He was probably just being paranoid. There was no way Len could reach him now, not ever. He was sure about that.

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_**Solitaryloner: **Sigh. Rei, Rei, Rei. Your overconfidence will be your downfall. Once Dell teaches Len how to bind you to him, you'll really be in a lot of trouble._

_This is the end of Broken Soul! Hope you enjoyed it! There are many questions left unanswered, I know - all these will be further explained in Broken Apocalypse._

_And do take a look at the next chapter for some interesting extras about this story!_

_For the poll, Miku is still in the lead...I'll start on the sequel probably in around mid-November, so you have until then to vote. I'll post the poll results on my profile, so keep checking regularly to see how it's going._

_Sorry for the long wait on the sequel, but I have loads of exams to study for, and my exams all end during November. So be patient! Five months will pass quickly! (Too quickly for me.) I should know, because I haven't started revising yet, and it's driving me nuts._


	36. Characterization

_**Solitaryloner: **__So that no one is confused, and to provide additional insight into each character's personality and past, here's a little list here! And it will be told, hilariously, from Rei's point of view. I just love Rei's incredibly twisted sense of logic. And humour. I will try to make him as unbiased as possible._

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Len Kagamine _(Archangel: Elijah)_

He is an extremely irritating little bastard - I mean, he is a very unique individual, however not one with the most likeable of personalities. Used to be a _nice _guy. So nice that it totally sickened me. Because he was nice to everyone except me! How was that nice, you snot-faced little brat...I mean, you innocent child? No, I don't like him. At all.

After being corrupted by the archangel Uriel, Len has become less nice. And that new personality of his entertains me no end. No, seriously. Sadistic Len is very amusing.

Related to Lucifer by blood. Was once the Fifteenth Archangel of Heaven, the Angel of Innocence, Elijah. He was reborn as a man, but he killed himself, thankfully - I mean, sadly. Took up the role of the Faceless One, though he isn't really faceless, despite the title. No, he's as annoying as ever...as in, he's still entertaining me a great deal.

Hair: Bright blond, tied up in a small ponytail

Eyes: Cerulean blue

Likes: Bananas, Miku Hatsune (Belphegor)

Dislikes: Rei Kagamine. And I hate him right back. Love you too, cousin. Not trying to be sarcastic here.

Miku Hatsune _(Demon: Belphegor)_

One of the Seven Cardinal Demons of Hell, she represents the sin of Sloth. Due to the fact that Sloth is the least called upon sin, Miku often finds herself drifting restlessly in Hell with nothing to do - pitiful, really. She is the fourth eldest, and the middle demon amongst the seven cardinal demons.

Bound physically to the irritating...uh, very handsome Len Kagamine, she was rendered human by him for a while. However, after Len Kagamine killed himself, she absorbed his soul, regaining her demon powers. Strangely, after he obtained his soul back, she didn't lose her powers either. Though I don't understand why she willingly gave Len his soul back...

I was always of the opinion that Len never really had a soul in the first place. Yes, I shall go along with that theory.

She now resides in Hell with the Faceless One, Len Kagamine. Before her fall, she was one of the archangels of Heaven - Samandiriel, the Angel of Imagination.

Hair: Hip-length, teal

Eyes: Emerald

Likes: Sleeping, leeks, Len Kagamine

Dislikes: Being deceived

She's a little like me, isn't she? Or so I like to think. I personally think that I'm cooler.

Rin Kagamine _(Demon: Lucifer)_

One of the Seven Cardinal Demons of Hell, she represents the sin of Arrogance. She is freakishly overprotective of her siblings - I mean, she has a very...strong protective instinct. Especially when it comes to Miku.

She was once one of the archangels of Heaven, the Highest of the Angels, Seraphim. She killed her brother, Len Kagamine, who was known as Elijah at the time. I applaud her, I really do. If I were her, I'd want to kill my incredibly irritating brother as well. Being Len Kagamine's cousin is more than bad enough.

Remaining unbiased, I shall now continue. After his death, she fell from the shame of murder, dragging her six siblings along with her. That was, what, a couple of centuries after Elijah's death? How long did it take to create Gakupo anyway? Anyway, she fell. Whatever.

She is the eldest of the seven cardinal demons, and she's temperamental, and easily offended. I should know. I lost count of how many times she's tried to kill me before.

Hair: Bright blonde, short

Eyes: Cerulean blue

Likes: Being proud of herself, oranges

Dislikes: Being commanded to do things. Especially by Len Kagamine. I understand that pain too. It's terrible.

She looks a lot like Len, doesn't she...? That's because they're twins, genius.

Luka Megurine _(Demon: Leviathian)_

One of the Seven Cardinal Demons of Hell, she represents the sin of Envy. Amongst the seven demons, she is known to be the most even-tempered and calm one. Though she's been rumoured to enjoy mischief even more than her youngest sibling, Gakupo. She is the second eldest amongst the seven cardinal demons.

She was one of the demons that my irritating cousin - I mean, Len's parents summoned in order to talk to the Faceless One. Just so they could give their brat of a son the power to destroy Heaven and Hell. How stupid.

Anyway, she is the only cardinal demon who was somewhat reluctant to fall - her other five siblings just blindly followed Lucifer over the edge. Which means Luka is not stupid. I applaud her wisdom - it's so difficult to find smart people such as myself nowadays, really.

Before the Fall, she was one of the Archangels of Heaven. Her angel name was Hamaliel, the Angel of Logic.

Hair: Hip-length, pink

Eyes: Sky blue

Likes: Envying others, tuna

Dislikes: People calling her tuna head because of her hair. Then again, who can blame her for that? Her hair _is _pink, anyway...

Gumi _(Demon: Satan)_

One of the Seven Cardinal Demons of Hell, she represents the sin of Wrath. She is a bit of a moron. And that was being nice. All of her siblings have called her worse, I heard. She is the third eldest amongst the seven demons.

She is the one demon who can never remember demonic rules - such as, they aren't allowed to kill humans unless a human bound in their contract specifically asks them to. Otherwise, demons can only grant humans wishes that will hasten their demise.

Gumi forgets that all the time, the idiot. Fine. I'll be nice. The fluff-head. Happy now? I don't understand why she is Wrath, I really don't - she used to be an Archangel up in the heavens. And, of all angels, she had to be Camael, the Angel of Joy. How different is that from Wrath, I ask you? There's no link at all!

Hair: Short, light green

Eyes: Meadow green

Likes: Carrots, inventing, getting mad

Dislikes: Being told she's wrong. Then she gets mad, which is something she likes to do...so is this under 'like' or 'dislike'? Whatever.

Kaito Shion _(Demon: Mammon)_

One of the Seven Cardinal Demons of Hell, he represents the sin of Greed. Which is really weird, because he isn't really greedy at all...not for material wealth, that is. He is the third youngest amongst the seven cardinal demons.

He's another idiot, just like Gumi. But idiotic in another way - he's a gullible fool who can be totally won over with the promise of ice cream. Which demon likes ice cream anyway, I ask you? By the time you open it in Hell, it would have all melted into a sticky sweet mess.

Kaito is the other demon summoned by the brat's parents, the first one being Luka. Lucky him. Kaito gets all the fun, despite being an idiot. Is the world against smart people or something? I never have any fun, I tell you.

Likes hanging out around Ben and Jerry's for reasons which are blindingly obvious. He was one of the Archangels before the Fall - his angel name was Hamael, the Angel of Dignity. Which makes no sense, because that guy loses all dignity at the sight of ice cream.

Hair: Navy blue

Eyes: Dark blue

Likes: Ice cream. That's about it.

Dislikes: People stealing his ice cream.

God, this guy is a complete moron.

Meiko Sakine _(Demon: Beelzebub)_

One of the Seven Cardinal Demons of Hell, she represents the sin of Gluttony. And she really is a glutton. She eats anything and everything, but especially sake. Which is not a food. She is the second youngest amongst the seven demons.

Strangest thing was, even while she was an angel she loved to eat. So I guess it wasn't too surprising that she was allocated this sin. Honestly, she scares me - I keep thinking one day she'll get so hungry she'll mistake the delicious looking me for...well, food.

She occasionally gets so hungry she eats the spirits which she are supposed to be torturing. Then again, I guess that really is kind of the worse punishment you can get. Rotting forever in Meiko's stomach. Ugh.

Before the Fall, she was one of the Archangels of Heaven. Her angel name was Isda, the Angel of Nourishment. Ha ha ha, how fitting.

Hair: Fiery red, cut into a short bob

Eyes: Hazel

Likes: Eating. And eating. And eating...oh, and sake of course. I could never forget that.

Dislikes: Anything that doesn't involve eating. And Kaito because he likes stealing her sake.

How does she eat so much and still not get fat? Does it all go to her boobs or something?

Gakupo Kamui _(Demon: Asmodeus)_

One of the Seven Cardinal Demons of Hell, he represents the sin of Lust. And know what? That is one sin I wouldn't mind falling prey to. And I'm sure I'll do a damn good job, given my astoundingly amazing looks. I'm just so extremely, incredibly gorgeous, I know. Gakupo is the youngest cardinal demon.

Lucky lucky Gakupo has sex all the time due to the insane carnal cravings of his sin. And the lucky Gakupo gets away with all this rampant sex because everyone likes him. Imagine if I were Lust. I'd be having loads of fun right now. I think Gakupo got the best sin, personally.

He gets laid all the time. Want me to tell you more about this guy other than how he's always getting laid? Uh, no. I don't stalk people, despite what everyone thinks. I'm not that free.

Here's a tidbit though - Gakupo was one of the Archangels before the Fall. His angel name was Nisroc, the Angel of Freedom. And damn, is he free. Free to have all the sex he wants.

Hair: Purple, hip-length

Eyes: Aqua blue

Likes: Sex, eggplants

Dislikes: Not having sex. Yeah. That's it.

Did I mention, I totally wouldn't mind being infected by his sin?

(A/N: For people who don't see the link between Broken Soul and Umineko no Naku Koro ni...it's not a very big link, but it's there. If you notice the order of the demons in Broken Soul - Lucifer, the eldest, then Leviathian, Satan, Belphegor, Mammon, Beelzebub and Asmodeus, the youngest - it follows the same order as the demons from Umineko no Naku Koro ni.

This was because I had no idea what was the actual demonic order, so I just used the anime and assumed it was correct. I hope I remembered it correctly - Mammon and Belphegor might not be in the right order, I can't recall which one comes first. But that's not really very important.)

Rei Kagamine _(Demon: Vincere)_

(A/N: I'll be doing this one since I don't trust Rei not to make himself sound absolutely wonderful. When he really isn't all that great.)

Cousin to Len Kagamine. Harbours a grudge against Len for obtaining all the attention, including his own mother's. Lonely, though he masks it all with his lousy attitude problem.

Loves to taunt his cousin. He was born a human, but sacrificed his humanity when he was twelve so he could become a demon and start plotting his revenge against Len. Ended up (sulkily and unwillingly) bound to Len after Len died and became the Faceless One.

He has an inquisitive nature and loves to mess around with everything. Including people's sanity and tolerance levels. Len still has to pray for patience whenever he deals with him.

The sin he harbours is the opposite side of Hope, Defeat. His demon has no official name, unlike the cardinal seven, but Defeat is also commonly referred to as Vincere. Has managed to hide his demonic presence for a long time, a feat most other demons find hard to achieve.

Seems strangely powerful, given his lack of experience as a demon. Though unwilling to admit it, Miku thinks he's scary and that he's a monster who should never have been let out into polite society. Facing Rei in Hell everyday, despite him being under Len's watch, is really stressing the poor girl out.

Hair: Jet-black

Eyes: Honey gold

Likes: Plotting world domination, torturing people, pissing Len off and (secretly) fantasizing about sex 24/7.

Dislikes: Len. He really, really dislikes Len. Oh, and he doesn't like Grim Reapers much, either. This shall be explained later.

Rei is also a pervert, though that perverted side of him is much less well-known.

Dell Honne _(The Faceless One)_

I'm back. Seriously, that writer should just leave me alone. I'm such a fantastic narrator. And I'm so unbiased. She doesn't trust me enough. Anyway, Dell is the ex-ruler of Dell - uh, I mean Hell. He gave up his status, power, blah blah blah to that little brat who calls himself my cousin so that he himself could go on to wherever gods go after retirement...I think they go to Hawaii or something like that.

Is Dell really a god? Ah, I don't know, and I don't care. On with the story. Anyway, he rarely takes on his human form - before he gave up his godliness he preferred to float around like some kind of black mist thing. Very creepy.

If he wanted to retire, he should have given me his powers. Why give it to that brat? I don't get it. Life is just unfair like that, I guess. Especially given my superior intellect and looks.

Hair: Silver, tied up in a small ponytail

Eyes: Crimson red

Likes: Scaring the hell out of people with a low growly voice and his black mist form. It's not scary at all. But everyone pretends it is so he won't get mad. Smoking. Caffeine.

Dislikes: Unknown. What? I don't know everything, okay? I'm smart, not a know-it-all.

Despite being the former ruler of Hell, he had a twisted sense of humour. Probably the reason why he let me roam the surface world for so long. Unlike my brat cousin, who confined me to this Hell. Literally. Or, as Dell would say, to this Dell. Like I've said, he's pretty weird.

The Conqueror _(First Horseman)_

No, I'm not going to talk about who he is or what is his identity. That's top secret, confidential stuff. The Conqueror is the first Horseman of the Apocalypse.

Is easily identified by his white horse and the bow and arrows he carries. He also wears a victor's crown. Currently chained in the deepest recesses of Hell - you'd better pray hard that he never escapes.

Serves the Faceless One...in other words, he's chained to my idiot cousin, just like I am.

War _(Second Horseman)_

The Second Horseman of the Apocalypse. No, not going to reveal anything about him either. Maybe on a later date.

He is identified by the fiery red horse he rides and the giant sword he carries. And when I say giant, I mean giant. Have you seen the size of the thing? It's...it's a freaking dinosaur.

People say that the giant sword represents mass slaughter. And you better hope that they're wrong. Because he's extremely pissed about being bound to Hell. And if he ever gets loose...well, mass slaughter it is, then.

War revels in...war. You do not want to get on this particular Horseman's bad side.

Famine _(Third Horseman)_

The third Horseman of the Apocalypse, Famine. He pretty much brings famine everywhere he goes - I wouldn't place him anywhere near Meiko. They'd start an epic battle trying to kill each other. Which would be admittedly hilarious, but not worth the pain Len would place me through. My moron cousin.

Identifiable through the black horse he rides, and the pair of weighing scales he carries. Frankly, if you ask me, I have no idea how weighing scales are supposed to intimidate anyone. What can you do with a pair of scales? Drop them on someone's head?

This is the horseman I'm the least wary of. He's actually less temperamental than his three fellow horsemen. But he's still dangerous. God knows what he can do with those scales.

Though, if he goes anywhere near you, you'll feel hunger pangs like never before. He's terrible. Robbing someone of food is the worst crime you can do to anyone.

And when he's angry, he's angry. Famine on the rampage can be terrifying, but don't tell him I said that. He'll laugh at me. Oh, wait. You don't know who he is. I forget.

Death _(Fourth Horseman)_

This is the scariest Horseman - Death, the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse. He rides a very pale horse, so pale that...well, the horse is made out of bones. Yes, his horse is a skeletal one. How cool is that?

He still won't let me ride his horse. It breaks my heart, really. He carries a scythe, the kind used for the reaping of souls. Well, he's Death - he's pretty much a Grim Reaper of sorts. So I won't say that I'm surprised.

Anyway, if he is ever released from the chains binding him to Hell, Death will walk the mortal world. Literally. You'd better pray really hard that no one tampers with his chains and sets him free. Scratch that, pray that no one ever sets any of the horsemen free. You'd die.

And if all four were set free...well, there's a reason they're called the Four Horsemen of the _Apocalypse, _aren't they? I can't stop smirking.

Gumo _(Archangel: Gabriel)_

One of the Seven Archangels of Heaven, he is the Angel of Revelation. He blesses humans with ideas and inventions, and infuses them with gratitude and reverence for the Divine Lord. Not a job I would fancy. He is the eldest amongst the seven archangels.

Gumo is very fussy. He's like a mother to his six other siblings. They find him both amusing and annoying at the same time. According to them, he is a worry wart. I have to agree.

He was the first angel to be elevated to archangel status, after the final archangel, Gakupo, was created. That gives him a pretty big responsibility to look out for the others. But he's still pretty much a nag.

For some strange reason he greatly resembles Satan. However, there is no link between them. Platonic or otherwise. That would just be creepy, and...ugh. I don't want to think about this. Satan is too much of a fluff-head.

Hair: Light green

Eyes: Meadow green

Likes: Carrots, nagging

Dislikes: Messiness

Yeah, he's one of those neat freaks with OCD who totally freak out if they see one tiny little thing out of place. And those kind of people scare me worse than the Four Horsemen.

Ren Haine _(Archangel: Michael)_

One of the Seven Archangels of Heaven, he is the Angel of Death. In other words, he's the head of all the damn Grim Reapers who go around murdering people. I have this really major thing against Grim Reapers.

One of them tried to reap me when I just turned demon. Said I was really handsome and a stud or something - I think his name was Grelle Sutcliffe? Annoying, I tell you. Not that I've anything against Ren. Or the Horseman Death. They're okay, I guess.

Ren is calm and quiet, and also a very demoralising person. Most of all, he looks a lot like Len. A lot of the angels look like Len. It's irritating. Just because Len was Elijah doesn't mean he was the perfect angel or whatever. He is the second eldest amongst the seven.

Ren is also strangely fond of his job. He is protective of his twin sister, Lin Haine. Ren can often be found sulking around in the Divine Lord's Sacred Forest, where he can be seen throwing arrows at pictures of Gumo.

Apparently Gumo nags at Ren a lot. I understand how Ren feels about that. I wouldn't like it much, either. Arrows are already being very kind - I would have thrown daggers.

Hair: Jet-black

Eyes: Steel grey

Likes: Protecting his sister. Reaping souls.

Dislikes: People who take too long to die.

Someone I can easily get along with. I like his attitude. People who take too long to die really are extremely annoying.

Taito Shion _(Archangel: Raphael)_

One of the Seven Archangels of Heaven, he is Raphael, the Angel of Healing. Which, personally, makes no sense. How can someone who's all wrapped up in bandages like that possibly be the Archangel of Healing? He can't even heal his own injuries! He is the third eldest amongst the seven archangels of Heaven.

Taito is known to be an occasionally over-emotional person who doesn't know what's the meaning of 'dangerous'. He cries when he sees injured little animals, heals them, then ends up getting himself hurt in the process. Somehow. Gumo nags at him almost as much as he nags Ren. Maybe that's why Taito is so...masochistic. Probably is why. I'm a genius.

His masochism is the main reason why the other archangels prefer that he stay in Heaven. That masochism is also why the others locked his sword of judgement away and won't give it to him unless absolutely necessary. Taito still manages to cut himself, though. Somehow.

He has a strange fondness for his icepick. He calls it 'Icy' and uses it to cut himself. When he gets angry, Icy will be used to take your eyes out. I wonder if that's what he did to his own eye. Taito can be very impulsive at times.

Hair: Dark purple, almost black

Eyes: His right eye is covered by a bandage. His left eye is violet.

Likes: Cutting himself, his icepick, healing injured animals

Dislikes: When people try to take away his icepick to prevent him from hurting himself.

This guy has some serious mental issues.

Piko Utatane _(Archangel: Uriel)_

One of the Seven Archangels of Heaven, he is Uriel, the Angel of Repentance. This guy has some major issues, and I'm not the only one who thinks so, for once.

It is his job to judge people and to make the sinners repent for all that they have done. Seeing all the sins that mankind committed has turned him from kind and loving to very cynical. And coming from me, that's a lot. The difference is drastic. He was the one who corrupted Len and told him to sin, so as to prevent him from entering Heaven and destroying it after death.

After all, if my bratty cousin is being punished by a demon, he won't exactly be free to roam around and destroy Hell, either. So anyway, it pretty much didn't work because Len ended up as the Faceless One. And anyway, he wouldn't have destroyed anything because he was an angel or something like that. Ugh.

Can't blame Piko, though. He didn't know at the time. And I guess he's repenting for what he did now...since he's the _Angel of Repentance _after all. Isn't that kind of his job, to repent?

He used to love one of the seven cardinal demons before their fall from Heaven - Miku Hatsune, the demon of Sloth. Got over that, though. Ever since Miku sent Len to his death in the mortal world, Piko has backed off. Personally, I think he has his eye on Gumi. Wrath, not that I'd understand why. She's such an idiot, while Piko admittedly is not.

He is the only one amongst the six angels that Gumo doesn't really nag at. I think it's because Gumo finally gave up on him - something that Piko is no doubt grateful for.

Hair: Silver, chin-length

Eyes: His left eye is emerald green, while his right eye is cerulean blue.

Likes: Being alone, messing around with Len (I like this guy.) Used to like Miku, but now maybe Gumi...that's just what I think, though.

Dislikes: Being told what to do, or being threatened. Especially hates being nagged at by Gumo, since Gumo is an annoying worrier.

I think Piko is pretty much the only archangel who has any demon-like tendencies. Taito isn't counted since all he does is injure himself. And inflicting harm on themselves is not something demons like to do.

Lin Haine _(Archangel: Raguel)_

One of the Seven Archangels of Heaven, she is Raguel, the Angel of Justice. She is twin sister to Ren Haine, but is considered the third youngest amongst the Seven Archangels because she was third last to be elevated to archangel status.

Lin isn't as fond of her job as her brother is. Being the Angel of Justice keeps her busy. What she does is she ensures that those who have passed on are sent to the correct realm - Hell or Heaven, depending on their past deeds in the mortal world. It's a tough job, but at least she gets to work along with her brother.

She makes sure that the spirits of the dead are judged correctly before being sent to one of the spiritual realms. She also has a hand in the mortal world, where she ensures that the good are rewarded and the wicked are punished.

Gumo doesn't nag at her as much as the others since she knows what she's doing, unlike the other angels who behave like three-year-olds. Gumo really does like to nag a lot. Lin looks a lot like Lucifer, but there is no relation.

Lin also likes to sleep. She hates it when her brother calls her out to work, because every time her brother comes back from work she knows she has a lot to do. To say that Lin is rather lazy would be an understatement.

Hair: Jet-black

Eyes: Steel grey

Likes: Sleeping. Not doing her job.

Dislikes: Doing her job.

She's really very lazy. I have no idea whatsoever why she was promoted to archangel status. She's worse than I am.

Rui Kagene _(Archangel: Saraqael)_

One of the Seven Archangels of Heaven, she is Saraqael, the Angel of Protection. She is the second youngest amongst the Seven Archangels, and is also the most mature.

Her younger brother is one of the Archangels as well. Unlike the seven cardinal demons, there are a lot of actual siblings amongst the seven archangels. The demons just call themselves siblings because they're all part of the seven deadly sins series.

Rui's job is to protect mortals who are faithful to the Divine One from their time of conception until time of death. Of course, she can't do a perfect job - there are a lot of people to look out for. She especially keeps an eye out for infants and the elderly.

She is the most mature amongst the seven. She is also quiet and only speaks when it is necessary. She, however, has a mischievous streak. She was the one who placed itching powder in Gumo's clothes - her brother was blamed for the entire episode. It was hilarious, watching Gumo all worked up.

Rui does not like being told she looks like a black-haired girl version of her brother, though that's what she essentially is. Did I mention, she looks a lot like Lucifer, who looks like Len? As usual?

Hair: Jet black, short

Eyes: Honey gold

Likes: Getting away with pranks, blaming her brother for said pranks, making Gumo suffer. All while she's supposed to be the most mature amongst them - talk about double-faced.

Dislikes: Gumo's nagging, just like everyone else.

Just because she looks like me doesn't mean that we're related. Honestly?

She is also the only other female Archangel, other than Lin. It matches the cardinal demons, doesn't it? Five males, two females? It's the same for the cardinal demons, except for them it's the other way round.

Rinto Kagene _(Archangel: Remiel)_

One of the Seven Archangels of Heaven, he is Remiel, the Angel of Hope. He is the youngest amongst the Seven Archangels, and is also the unfortunate, long-suffering younger brother of Rui Kagene. Poor kid.

Unlike his quiet, but secretly out-going sister, Rinto is shy and does not like speaking up. He only expresses his views when it regards something important. I think the reason he turned out like that is because of Rui's bullying. Rui loves to blame Rinto for everything, and she gets away with it.

He looks like a male version of Lucifer...which means he looks like Len. As usual. Rinto and I are connected since we are both parts of Hope. He is Hope and I am Defeat. So he can hear my thoughts, but I let him. There's never anything important enough to warrant shielding going through my head, anyway.

No, it does not mean I'm stupid. I just can't be bothered to hide my thoughts from Remiel. It takes a lot of effort, you know. The only angel that Rinto willingly spends time with is Piko.

Gumo, however, wastes a lot of time with Rinto trying to 'coax him out of his shell'.

Hair: Bright blond, pinned up with hair clips

Eyes: Cerulean blue

Likes: Being alone. He's a little like Piko.

Dislikes: Being bullied by Rui. But he still doesn't speak up for himself, the idiot.

Why am I the opposite side of this...I have no words to describe him.

The Divine Lord

Again, this is confidential, top-secret stuff, so I shall keep quiet. The Divine Lord is the ruler of the heavenly realm. He is the only being that the seven archangels listen to - otherwise, they're usually off doing their own thing.

Is said to be wise, kind and merciful. I think otherwise, though. He is not merciful at all. You might not agree with me, but I know who he is, and you don't, so shut up.

But yes, the Divine Lord is kind and wise...most of the time. That's why he's the ruler of Heaven. Jeez. He's nowhere near as fun as Dell. Dell was a fantastic Hell ruler.

Len might have run into him before, since they're both the rulers of their spiritual realms and all that, blah blah blah. I don't care.

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_**Solitaryloner: **__Okay, that's it. This is the longest chapter I've ever written for anything...Rei makes writing it so fun. If there is any other character you'd like to know about, a character who has actually appeared in the story so far, please tell me, I'll add them into this thing! In Rei's point of view, of course._


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